A senior White House official in Kyiv stated on Wednesday that they were unable to foresee when the US Congress would approve a delayed $60-billion military aid package for Ukraine.
A top White House official in Kyiv on Wednesday said he could not predict when the US Congress would pass a stalled $60-billion military aid package for Ukraine.
The much-needed support has been held up since last year and has caused ammunition shortages for Kyiv’s soldiers on the front lines.
“It has already taken too long. And I know that, you know that,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a press conference in Kyiv alongside Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff.
“I’m not going to make predictions about exactly when this will get done, but we are working to get it done as soon as possible… but I cannot make a specific prediction today,” Sullivan said.
He repeated the White House’s position that it was “confident” the money could be unblocked at some point.
“We are confident we will get this done, we will get this aid to Ukraine”.
The Republican-led House of Representatives has been blocking $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine amid pressure from Donald Trump over President Joe Biden’s approach to managing the country’s southern border.
The United States has warned that a recent $300 million package would only last a few weeks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed frustration over the uncertainty on Tuesday, saying: “What does shock us is that the decision has not been adopted yet”.
And Zelensky on Monday said during a meeting with US Senator Lindsey Graham that a swift decision from Congress was “critically important”.
Graham said proposals by Trump, his party’s presumptive presidential nominee, that US foreign aid should be awarded as interest-free loans could provide a blueprint for unlocking the funds for Kyiv.
“Turning aid from the United States into a no-interest, waivable loan is the most likely path forward,” Graham said Monday.
“This is going to be a new way of doing business. I think it will get more public support back home,” Graham said, adding that the aid could get approval from US lawmakers “in the coming days, not weeks”.
with AFP
