White House warns about very dire situation in Ukraine
The delay in US funding for Ukraine's defense needs has led to terrible consequences (photo: Getty Images)
The White House has warned that the situation in Ukraine is very dire after congressional leaders held what they called intense talks with US President Biden, according to The Hill.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby has highlighted the critical situation on the front line due to a shortage of ammunition in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He stated that soldiers are making some really tough decisions about what they’re going to shoot and that they’re running out of bullets.
“I’m not in a position to put a time stamp on it and say, you know, by such and such date, they’ll lose the war, but they are certainly beginning to lose territory — territory that they had clawed back from the Russians. And now they have to give it back to the Russians because they can’t — they can’t fight them off," Kirby said.
He also noted that Ukraine needs financial assistance for defense purposes, which is stuck in Congress.
"We need it now. I won’t even begin to speculate what would be too late. We’re already in some ways too — too late. They lost the town Avdiivka, because of — literally because of ammunition. So in some ways, it’s already having a dramatic effect on the battlefield," Kirby said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) suggested the meeting was productive, but both characterized the talks on Ukraine as intense.
Schumer said that during the meeting he underscored Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s warning that if they don’t get aid quickly, Ukraine could fall.
Biden's meeting with congressional leaders
On Tuesday, February 27, US President Joe Biden met with congressional leaders at the White House. The main topics of discussion were the approval of aid to Ukraine and avoiding a government shutdown due to delays in approving the US federal budget.
Against the backdrop of the lack of assistance, the Armed Forces recently had to withdraw from the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. According to Zelenskyy, Biden understands that this is a consequence of the weakening support for our country.
Delay in US military aid
On February 13, the US Senate approved a bill providing aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan totaling $95 billion. Specifically for Ukraine, the bill includes over $61 billion.
For the bill to take effect, it must be approved by the US House of Representatives and signed by President Joe Biden.
However, on February 16, House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring the bill to a vote.
Congressmen went on vacation until February 28, once again delaying the approval and provision of US assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
