Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called off a classified briefing with U.S. senators on Dec. 5, in which he intended to discuss Ukraine’s need for additional funding and military aid from the United States.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the purpose of the meeting was to help senators understand “what’s at stake in the vote on the national security supplemental bill.”
Mr. Schumer told reporters about Mr. Zelenskyy’s cancellation, saying that “something came up at the last minute,” Politico reported.
This came after Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, warned that the war-torn country could risk losing the war against Russia if the United States further delays military aid to Ukraine.
Mr. Yermak expressed his concern on Dec. 5, saying that if the U.S. military assistance is postponed, there’s a “big risk that we can be in the same position to which we’re located now.”
“And of course, it makes this very high possibility impossible to continually liberate and give the big risk to lose this war,” he said.
US ‘Out of Money’ for Ukraine
In a Dec. 4 letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), White House budget director Shalanda Young said that cutting off the flow of U.S. weapons would “kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield” and increase the likelihood of Russian military victories.“I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from U.S. military stocks,” Ms. Young’s letter reads.
“There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money—and nearly out of time.”
Ms. Young said Congress has approved $111 billion in supplemental funding to support Ukraine and critical national security needs since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
“Already, our packages of security assistance have become smaller and the deliveries of aid have become more limited. If our assistance stops, it will cause significant issues for Ukraine,” she said.
In his reply letter on Dec. 5, Mr. Johnson said he had listed conditions for Republicans to support the additional Ukraine funding during a meeting with Ms. Young and national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Oct. 26.
“First, I explained that supplemental Ukraine funding is dependent upon enactment of transformative change to our nation’s border security laws,” the letter reads.
“Second, I explained that Congress and the American people must be provided with answers to our repeated questions concerning: the Administration’s strategy to prevail in Ukraine; clearly defined and obtainable objectives; transparency and accountability for U.S. taxpayer dollars invested there; and what specific resources are required to achieve victory and a sustainable peace.
“In light of the current state of the U.S. economy and the massive amount of our national debt, it is our duty in Congress to demand answers to these reasonable questions, and we still await the answers.”
Mr. Johnson said the Biden administration has chosen “to engage in political posturing” rather than engage with congressional Republicans “to discuss logical reforms.”
