U.S. suspends aid to Ukraine until Congress makes decision - White House
National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby (GettyImages)
The United States has suspended aid to Ukraine until Congress approves new funding, according to the U.S. National Security Council coordinator John Kirby during a briefing at the White House.
Kirby said that the U.S. has provided the latest package of military aid for which they had allocated funds.
"The assistance that we provided has now ground to a halt. The attacks that the Russians are conducting are only increasing. And now, as I talked about earlier this week, they’re using North Korean ballistic missiles to do their dirty work," said Kirby.
The last military aid package to Ukraine from the U.S., amounting to $250 million, was provided on December 27, 2023.
U.S. assistance to Ukraine
On October 1, the U.S. Congress passed a temporary budget bill, which did not include new funding for aid to Ukraine, as it was decided to consider such an initiative separately. Afterward, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed allocating $106 billion to Congress, with the majority of funds ($60 billion) intended for assistance to Ukraine. The package also included aid for Israel.
After prolonged debates, the U.S. approved a new temporary budget for the government without assistance for Ukraine and Israel. Biden signed the law that helped avoid a government shutdown.
Debates in the U.S. are ongoing regarding the strengthening of the border with Mexico. Republicans demanded the passage of immigration legislation, threatening not to support funding for Ukraine.
The White House expects that Democrats and Republicans will reach an agreement in January 2024.
Yesterday, January 11, Republicans released a document titled "Proposed Plan for Victory in Ukraine", outlining how the U.S. should support assistance to Ukraine and criticizes President Joe Biden's administration.
