In the ongoing discussions within Congress regarding prospective foreign military expenditures, Pentagon officials have indicated a constraint on the United States’ ability to provide weapons from its arsenal to support Ukraine in resistance against Russian forces.
Major General Pat Ryder, the Defense Department’s press secretary, communicated during a briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday that the current congressional restriction on supplementary funding for Ukraine is impeding the fulfillment of Ukraine’s immediate battlefield requirements. He told reporters that the congressional hold on additional funding for Ukraine is preventing Washington “from meeting Ukraine’s most urgent battlefield needs to include things like artillery rounds, anti-tank weapons, air defense interceptors.”
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Ryder’s statements emerged subsequent to the monthly session of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of 54 nations convened by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin since April 2022 to coordinate assistance for Ukraine.
Notably, this marks the first instance since the group’s inception that the United States finds itself unable to commit to dispatching additional ammunition and missiles to Kyiv.
House and Senate leaders are actively pursuing a bipartisan security agreement to fulfill President Joe Biden’s appeal for increased financial support to Ukraine, concurrently addressing the augmentation of U.S. border enforcement. However, Republican lawmakers have refrained from endorsing any supplementary foreign funding until a consensus is reached on border-related initiatives.
According to Ryder’s statement on Tuesday, the Pentagon is constrained in its ability to furnish Ukraine “to meet both their medium- and longer-term requirements and help them sustain systems that we’ve previously provided to them.”
Ryder emphasized the Biden administration’s collaborative efforts with Congress, aiming to prompt the approval of supplemental funding at the earliest opportunity.
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who presided over Tuesday’s virtual meeting with numerous international partners while recuperating from prostate cancer surgery, encouraged members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to steadfastly support Kyiv’s military in the face of Russia’s persistent aggression.
In his introductory statements, Austin underscored the significance of Ukraine’s struggle, emphasizing its importance for all participating nations. He acknowledged the courage of Ukraine’s troops engaged in an ongoing battle against the Kremlin’s forces along an extensive front in the eastern and southern regions, especially in challenging winter conditions.
“So I urge this group to dig deep to provide Ukraine with more lifesaving ground-based air-defense systems and interceptors,” he said.
In late December, the Pentagon disclosed its latest security package for Ukraine, amounting to $250 million. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has allocated over $44 billion in security aid to enhance the country’s military capabilities.
Approximately $23.6 billion of the overall assistance to Ukraine was sourced from existing U.S. military reserves, while around $19 billion was directed towards enduring military agreements, as reported by the Associated Press. Consequently, even if the Pentagon’s current funding has been depleted, there remains the prospect of previously procured weaponry continuing to be dispatched to Ukraine in the interim.
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Major General Pat Ryder informed reporters that ongoing assistance to Ukraine persists through training initiatives and collaborative leadership efforts. But, he added, “in order for us to provide the capabilities that Ukraine needs on the battlefield today, but also in the longer term, we would really appreciate the support of Congress.”
These recent developments show that the United States has withdrawn its support from Ukraine, leaving the nation to confront Russian aggression unassisted. Despite various indicators prompting a cessation of hostilities, the U.S. continued financial backing, for its strategic interests and now has abanodoned Ukraine amidst the war.