White House Announces Weapons Package for Ukraine, As Congress Deadlocked
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – On Wednesday, the Biden administration revealed its plan to provide Ukraine with a new weapons package worth $250 million. This announcement comes amid a standoff in Congress over additional funding for Ukraine as Republican lawmakers are insisting on linking any foreign aid to measures for strengthening the border.
The final military aid package for Ukraine from the United States in 2023 comprises various arms and equipment. This includes air defense and anti-armor munitions, ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, and over 15 million rounds of small arms ammunition.
“Our assistance has been critical to supporting our Ukrainian partners as they defend their country and their freedom against Russia’s aggression,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
On December 27, the Pentagon released a fact sheet that outlined the extent of U.S. security assistance provided to Ukraine. Since President Joe Biden’s administration began, this assistance has amounted to approximately $44.9 billion.
Many Congressional Republicans, while supportive of additional aid for Ukraine, are emphasizing that any further funding should be contingent on changes to U.S. border policy. This stance reflects their aim to integrate foreign aid decisions with domestic border security concerns as a prerequisite for extending financial and military assistance to Kyiv.
In an open letter to the White House dated December 5, Speaker Johnson emphasized the conditional nature of supplemental funding for Ukraine. He pointed out that the House of Representatives has taken the lead in proposing reforms to fortify U.S. border security, notably passing H.R. 2, the Secure Border Act of 2023, over six months ago. However, he criticized Senate Democrats for their lack of action on this bill, linking the passage of transformative changes in the nation’s border security laws to the approval of further aid for Ukraine.
Speaker Johnson expressed strong concerns about the current state of the U.S. border, describing it as an unacceptable and unsustainable crisis. He emphasized the moral obligation to address this issue promptly. Criticizing the Biden Administration for what he perceived as lacking engagement with Congressional Republicans on practical border reforms, Johnson accused the administration of opting for political posturing instead.
President Biden emphasized the critical need for additional funding at a mid-December joint press conference in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He warned that without this supplemental funding, the United States is nearing its capacity limit to assist Ukraine in meeting its urgent operational needs.
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