The 49 members of the Republican faction of the Senate of the upper house of the US Congress blocked the bill presented by the President Joe Biden for granting 110 billion dollars worth of aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and strengthening the US-Mexico border.
The bill, which was supposed to allocate $61 billion to Ukraine, was supposed to support at least 60 of the 100 members of the Senate, but because of the Republican position, this threshold was not reached.
The main reason for Republican opposition is the demand to significantly strengthen the US southern border with Mexico in order to reduce the flow of migrants, as the government does nothing in conditions where about 10,000 migrants arrive in the US from Mexico a day. Republicans are also calling for an overhaul of the asylum process.
After the Senate vote, Biden announced on the “X” social network that Republicans are practicing political blackmail and threatening further aid to Ukraine. Even before the vote, the US president warned that there should be no delay in providing funding for additional aid to Ukraine, otherwise Russian President Vladimir Putin would receive a great gift.
Biden also warned that if Russia were to win the war in Ukraine, Putin would not stop, but would choose one of the NATO members as his next target. But in that case, the United States would be obliged to engage in a war with Russia, which no American would want, Biden said.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon and the State Department informed that Kyiv will receive missile systems and other military equipment worth 175 million dollars. Supplies will be provided on the basis of a presidential authorization, which allows to take weapons from the reserves and quickly send them to the war front.
This aid package will include missiles for air defense systems and reactive artillery systems “Himars”, as well as artillery shells, anti-tank missiles and equipment for the protection of critical infrastructure.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated that it is important to continue supporting Ukraine until Russia stops its brutal attacks and completely withdraws its troops from Ukraine.
Blinken also warned that this will be one of the last U.S. aid packages for Ukraine if Congress does not soon approve additional aid requested by the White House. The Secretary of State reminded that providing support to Ukraine is essential for US national security and ensuring stability in the world.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, also warned that without new supplies of US military aid, his country is at great risk of losing the war against Russia.
CONTEXT:
Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked large-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, the Kremlin’s propaganda brazenly promised to capture Kyiv in three days, but the selfless and strong resistance of the Ukrainians prevented the Kremlin from realizing its plans.
After the setbacks, the Kremlin withdrew the army from the Kyiv region, but continued the offensive in other regions. In the fall of 2022, the Ukrainian army managed to liberate Kharkiv region and part of Kherson region in successful operations, raising hopes for the possibility of defeating the enemy.
However, the Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in the summer of 2023 was not so successful, which the Ukrainian army explains both by the insufficient supply of weapons from the Western allies and by the deep defense line and extensive minefields created by the Russian army. Now there are reports that a war of positions has begun at the front with exhausting battles and preparations must be made for long-term support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia regularly attacks civilian targets and is expected to target energy infrastructure like last winter.
Typo?
Highlight the text and press Ctrl+Enter to send the corrected text fragment to the editor!
Highlight the text and press the Report an error button to send the corrected text fragment to the editor!
Report a bug
2023-12-07 05:04:31
#Senate #blocks #support #Ukraine #Biden #powers #send #million #aid
