NATO Secretary-General’s visit to the United States worries about Ukraine today and Taiwan tomorrow
(AFP, Washington, 29th) US Secretary of State Blinken warned today that if the US Congress does not pass a new aid bill, Ukraine’s gains in the war with Russia in the past two years may be undone. NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg also expressed concern that “Today’s Ukraine may be Taiwan tomorrow.”
The purpose of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to Washington is to persuade the U.S. Congress to provide reinforcements. Antony Blinken also warned that if Congress does not approve the so-called additional funding bill, Ukraine’s prospects may become increasingly grim.
“Simply put, without help, everything the Ukrainians have gained so far and everything we have helped them achieve will be in jeopardy,” Blinken told a joint news conference with Stoltenberg.
“Without additional funding, we will send a strong, wrong message to all our adversaries that we are not serious about defending freedom and defending democracy,” he said.
“This only reinforces the belief in (Russian President Vladimir Putin) that he can outlast Ukraine and us in some way,” he said.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has provided Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in aid. However, U.S. Republican congressmen increasingly do not support continued support for the Kiev authorities, believing that the Russia-Ukraine war has dragged on for too long and has no clear end.
U.S. President Biden previously asked Congress to approve another $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, but related negotiations have reached an impasse. Republican members of Congress, dissatisfied with record flows of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, are demanding major changes to immigration and border control policies in exchange for approving more funding for Ukraine.
Stoltenberg said he would meet with U.S. lawmakers tomorrow and make a case for supporting Ukraine “in line with our own security interests.”
“If President Putin wins, it will be tragic for Ukrainians and it will make the world a more dangerous place and make us all less safe,” Stoltenberg said.
“This will make other authoritarian leaders more emboldened, not just President Putin, but also North Korea, Iran and China, to use force,” he said.
With many Republicans focused on opposing China, Stoltenberg said: “Today it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it could be Taiwan.”
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2024-01-30 01:39:44
