During her visit to Kyiv in October, US Special Representative for the Economic Recovery of Ukraine Penny Pritzker tried to hint to the Ukrainian authorities about the likely cessation of financial assistance from Washington. The Ukrayinska Pravda publication reported this on November 16, citing sources.
“At Penny’s meetings [Прицкер] tried to lead to the idea <...> that there is no American help. What needs to be done over the next year to ensure that your economy survives even in this situation? And this really stressed everyone out,” said UP’s interlocutor.
The article notes that it was no coincidence that Pritzker may have asked about Ukraine’s plans for 2024 to restore the economy, since the US presidential elections will take place next November, which in turn could lead to a reduction or termination of financial support.
Pritzker arrived in Kyiv on October 16. The special envoy’s responsibilities include working with the Ukrainian government and US allies, international financial institutions and the private sector, as well as promoting Washington’s efforts to help rebuild the country.
To date, Washington has provided Kyiv with assistance in various forms amounting to more than $111 billion.
On November 16, the US Senate passed a plan to fund the federal government to prevent a government shutdown. Financial assistance to Ukraine and Israel was excluded from the plan. The bill was supported by 87 senators, 11 opposed. US President Joe Biden is expected to sign it on November 17.
On November 3, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the White House no longer has the ability to sponsor Ukraine at the previous level. According to her, the US government has exhausted additional budgetary allocations to help Ukraine and is forced to reduce military supplies.
Western countries increased military and financial support for Ukraine with the start of the Russian special operation to protect Donbass, which Russia announced on February 24, 2022. The decision to hold it was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of an aggravation of the situation in the region due to the aggression of Ukrainian troops.
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