FT: the White House warned that funds for Ukraine will run out by the end of the year
Washington will run out of funds to finance Kiev by the end of the year, the FT quotes White House representative Shalanda Yang. According to her, the refusal of Congress to support Ukraine will lead to the collapse of the country's economy, followed by the defeat of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the battlefield.
The head of the budget department warns that the refusal of Congress to approve further assistance to Ukraine will "undermine the efforts" of Kiev.
The White House issued a sharp warning that the United States will run out of funds to finance Ukraine by the end of the year. He said that Russia's chances of success on the battlefield will increase if Congress does not approve new appropriations for Kiev.
The warning from Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Administration and Budget, outlined in a letter to congressional leaders on Monday, represents the most concrete assessment to date of Washington's weakening financial and military support for Ukraine.
"If Congress remains inactive, by the end of the year we will run out of funds to purchase additional weapons and military equipment for Ukraine, as well as to provide equipment from US military stocks," Yang wrote to political leaders of both parties.
"There is no magic source of funding to meet the needs of the moment. We have run out of money – and almost no time," she said.
President Joe Biden's request for $106 billion in emergency funding for major foreign policy priorities, including Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region, is stuck in limbo on Capitol Hill because Republicans are increasingly opposed to providing assistance to Kiev.
Some lawmakers – especially in the Senate, where support for Ukraine is stronger – are trying to negotiate a bipartisan agreement that would include assistance to Kiev along with new immigration rules and asylum procedures to reduce the number of undocumented people arriving in the United States across the southern border.
But even if an agreement can be reached in the Senate, it is unclear whether this agreement will be able to pass through the Republican-led House of Representatives, whose new speaker Mike Johnson is skeptical about financing Ukraine.
"Cutting off the flow of American weapons and military equipment will undermine Ukraine's efforts on the battlefield, jeopardize the successes achieved by Kiev, and increase the likelihood of new Russian military victories," Yang wrote.
"Our military aid packages have already become smaller, and the shipments of aid have become more limited. while our allies around the world have stepped up and are doing more than before. The support of the United States is crucial and cannot be repeated by others," she added.
The White House's warning came at a time when EU member states are struggling to come to an agreement in Brussels on allocating 50 billion euros to Ukraine, people close to the negotiation process told the Financial Times.
Yang noted that Ukraine also needs economic assistance, which may stall.
"If Ukraine's economy collapses, they won't be able to continue fighting, period," she wrote. "Putin understands this well, and therefore Russia has made the destruction of the Ukrainian economy a central element of its strategy, which is obvious if you evaluate its attacks on grain exports and Ukraine's energy infrastructure," she added.
Yang also said that money for Ukraine would benefit the U.S. economy. Since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022, Washington has approved $111 billion in aid to Kiev.
"We cannot accurately predict which American companies will receive new contracts, but we know that the financing will be used to purchase modern protective equipment for Israel and Ukraine. For example, these are air defense systems manufactured in Alabama, Texas and Georgia, as well as the most important components that are made in almost all 50 states," she said.
By James Politi
