State Department 'optimistic' on new U.S. funding for Ukraine
Photo: U.S. State Department Optimistic About Approval of New Aid for Ukraine (Getty Images)
The United States Department of State is "optimistic" about the Senate's approval of an additional aid package for Ukraine. This statement was made by the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Jim O'Brien, during a briefing on November 27.
"I believe the Senate is preparing to move in the next several weeks," he said.
The State Department representative expressed the view that a "substantial majority" in the House of Representatives supports the additional document, which "will provide crucial security aid to Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, along with potentially addressing other crucial issues, such as migration."
"We’ve made the case that it is critical for U.S. security, for Alliance security, and for our key partners to feel secure, that we provide the assistance that’s requested," emphasized O'Brien.
He added that the package includes support for Ukraine in the defense sector and also addresses "its economic prosperity, which will allow it to show its people a brighter future and to begin paying for even more of its defense than it does."
In this context, the Deputy Secretary of State highlighted that currently, Ukraine "covers 60 percent of military spending for the war, and our European allies provide even more."
"They’ve provided more than 100 billion euro in assistance to Ukraine, as against the U.S. 70 so far. So this is really a coalition effort, and I think it’s important for our partners to hear that we’ll continue to do our part, even while our Congress is debating the next steps of what we’ll provide," he concluded.
U.S. military aid to Ukraine
Recall that on October 1, the U.S. Congress passed a temporary budget bill that did not include new funding for aid to Ukraine, as it was decided to consider such an initiative separately.
Subsequently, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed allocating $106 billion to Congress, with the majority of these funds ($60 billion) intended for assistance to Ukraine. Assistance to Israel was also included.
Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the U.S. has provided a new package of military assistance to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Turner stated that it would be challenging for the United States to take new measures regarding assistance to Ukraine and Israel by the end of 2023.
