Pentagon urges Congress to approve aid for Ukraine both publicly and privately
Photo: Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh (flickr.com)
The Pentagon is calling on the U.S. Congress to approve the request for additional funding for Ukraine both publicly and in private meetings, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
"Unfortunately, the United States has not been able to provide a package since December. So we will continue to urge Congress, both publicly and privately in our meetings, to pass the supplemental," Singh says.
She adds that the Pentagon is concerned that Russia is seeking support to finance its capabilities in countries such as Iran and North Korea.
According to the spokesperson, the failure to provide military support to Ukraine is a concern, because "United States' support for Ukraine is incredibly important in showing a united message, not just to the European world, to — to Russia, but all around the world."
"I will say though, and it's important, it's not just the United States supporting Ukraine right now. Our allies and partners have stepped up, in terms of training, in terms of funding and support. So it's not — it's not just the United States," Singh says.
Financing of assistance to Ukraine from the United States
Over the past few months, a "political war" between Democrats and Republicans has erupted in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate over a bill to provide financial assistance to Ukraine and other allies.
Back in October 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden submitted a bill to Congress that would allocate $106 billion to help Israel and Ukraine, as well as to strengthen the military-industrial complex. Of this amount, it was proposed to allocate $61.3 billion to Ukraine and $14.3 billion to Israel.
However, on December 6, Republicans blocked the start of debate on the bill in the Senate.
On January 12, the White House said that financial assistance to Ukraine had been suspended until Congress approved a new funding package.
