The US government has warned of serious consequences for Ukraine if Congress does not quickly approve new funding for the country attacked by Russia. Western allies also need to know that the USA is on Ukraine’s side, said James O’Brien, who is responsible for European affairs at the US State Department, before a Senate committee on Wednesday.
If the U.S. stopped providing money to Ukraine in the future, allies would have to ask themselves whether their efforts were enough and whether they should continue, O’Brien said. The release of new US aid to Ukraine is currently being blocked by a domestic political dispute between Democrats and Republicans in the US Parliament.
During the hearing, O’Brien also referred to a statement by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. He said about a month ago that Ukraine was only being artificially kept alive by Western billions in aid and arms deliveries. “Imagine if the deliveries end tomorrow, then it will only survive for a week,” Putin said at the time. That is what is now at stake with regard to further support from the US, O’Brien warned the committee.
Erin McKee from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) made it clear that the Humanitarian aid to Ukraine would have to be significantly reduced without additional funding. USAID has already fully exhausted its funding for humanitarian aid. “Given the continued enormous need, additional resources are crucial,” she emphasized.
If Congress does not approve new funding, the US partner organizations in Ukraine would have to increase the number Reduce people receiving humanitarian assistance by up to 75 percentor suspend humanitarian programs entirely, McKee said.
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