US assistance to Ukraine in its war against Russia has stopped. Washington does not currently have funds to provide assistance to Kiev, as White House national security spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference.
“The assistance we provided to Ukraine has stopped – said Kirby – while Russia is intensifying its attacks: it is essential that new funding is approved” in favor of Kiev. The reference is to ongoing negotiations in Washington between Republicans and Democrats on an aid package that could be linked to a review of border security measures.
Kiev has been waiting for white smoke since December on the 61 billion package blocked in Congress due to the opposition of some Republicans in the Senate. For the country led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, Washington's help is vital. So far, President Joe Biden's appeals have not broken the deadlock on Capitol Hill. The picture, already complex, risks becoming even more complex if we take into account the information recently released by the New York Times: the United States will no longer be able to maintain the supply of Patriot air defense systems which can cost from 2 to 4 million dollars each. The Patriots are designed to counter ballistic missiles and, since the first battery entered combat space in Ukraine, they have reshaped the battle for the skies by successfully repelling Russian air attacks. The raids by Moscow's forces take place day after day without substantial interruption. Especially thanks to the defense systems provided by the West, Kiev can try to limit the damage caused by attacks, which hit civilian targets causing deaths and injuries.
The last 24 hours have not reserved positive news for Ukraine, considering that the European Union and its member states have formalized the failure to reach the goal of delivering one million artillery ammunition to Ukraine by the end of March 2024. Spokespeople for the EU executive received numerous questions on the topic in Thursday's briefing. What the Commission announced, said Internal Market spokeswoman Johanna Bernsel, was a “political objective”. A political objective that will be missed, while Russia, whose military-industrial apparatus has taken seriously the production objectives that the ongoing war requires, continues to bomb the Ukrainians.
Zelensky can count on renewed support from the Baltic countries. Estonian President Alar Karis, in particular, pledged to allocate 1.2 billion euros to Kiev until 2027, after the Ukrainian president arrived in the country. Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have been among Ukraine's staunchest supporters pledging the highest share of gross domestic product of all the allies.
Zelensky was in Lithuania on Wednesday, where the government pledged nearly $220 million to Kiev over the next three years.
During a joint press conference with Zelensky, Karis called on the EU to increase its military support for Ukraine as the country enters its third year of war with Russia. “Ukraine needs more and better weapons. The capacity of the EU's military industry must be increased so that Ukraine gets what it needs, not tomorrow, but today,” Karis said.
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