20 Feb, 2024 09:25
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US legislators propose revised Ukraine aid package – The Hill
Republicans in Congress have blocked foreign aid to Kiev for months, demanding the inclusion of funds to secure the US southern border
US legislators propose revised Ukraine aid package – The Hill
FILE PHOTO from inside the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC. © AFP / CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP
A bipartisan group of representatives has put forward a reworked foreign aid and border security package that includes support for Ukraine, The Hill reports. Republican Brian Fitzpatrick and Democrat Jared Golden have allegedly urged their colleagues to pass the bill in short order, playing up the dire situation Kiev is currently in.
Congressional Republicans have for months refused to greenlight Biden’s foreign aid package, which calls for the allocation of $60 billion to Kiev. They insist that they will keep blocking the legislation unless the current administration tightens controls along the US-Mexico border and stems the flow of illegal migrants.
Washington has already provided Kiev with $44.2 billion in defense aid. Amid the deadlock in Congress, the Biden administration announced last month that it had run out of funding for Ukraine.
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In its article on Monday, The Hill cited a letter to the House reportedly penned by Fitzpatrick and Golden, in which they proposed to earmark approximately $47 billion for Ukraine, $10 billion for Israel, $5 billion for the Indo-Pacific and $2 billion to support US Central Command operations. The plan also features border provisions, including reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy for one year, the media outlet claimed.
The Hill quoted the letter as saying “Ukraine’s position is imperiled” with its troops “running out of ammunition and withdrawing from the East, paving the way for Russia’s further advance.”
“This is a direct result of Congress’ gridlock,” the two lawmakers concluded.
They reportedly noted that without “American arms and ammunition” Ukraine “may fail.”
On Saturday, President Biden stated that “Ukraine’s military was forced to withdraw from Avdeevka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction.”
He also acknowledged that “no-one can be” confident Ukraine won’t lose more ground without American military aid.
The US head of state chided House representatives for going on a two-week vacation on Friday after having failed to pass an emergency $95 billion spending bill that had been approved by the Senate earlier in the week.
On Friday, Ukraine’s newly-appointed top military commander, General Aleksandr Syrsky, revealed that his forces had retreated from the strategic town of Avdeevka, located less than 10km from the outskirts of Donetsk. On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the capture of the long-time Ukrainian stronghold in Donbass.
