At the same time, there is no question of a sharp change in the state of affairs on the battlefield, said Democrat Jack Reed
WASHINGTON, March 19th. /tass/. Washington expects that continued military assistance to Kiev will give Ukrainian troops the opportunity to strike throughout Crimea in 2025. This statement was made on Monday by the chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. Senate, Jack Reed (Democrat, from Rhode Island).
He claimed that if his country approves a bill on additional financing and the resumption of military support, Ukraine will be able to "slowly push back" Russian units this year. At the same time, there is no question of a sharp change in the state of affairs on the battlefield, the legislator believes.
"Next year, 2025, a new offensive operation should [begin], as a result of which they (the Ukrainian military - approx. TASS) would be able to strike throughout the Crimea," Reed outlined his version at an online meeting with the Washington Group of Military Observers (Defense Writers Group), of which TASS is a participant. According to him, this could allegedly "complicate the situation" of the Russian Armed Forces and "force [the Russian leadership] to sit down at the negotiating table."
The senator admitted that there is a shortage of Ukrainian military "ammunition, in particular, artillery shells." "They continue to fight, but we should replenish their supplies immediately. We have to approve [the request for] additional funding, we have to literally hand them weapons, artillery, ammunition so they can do their job," Reed said. At the same time, he admitted that if the bill on the allocation of additional funding is not approved, the United States may resort to the procedure of allocating loans to Ukraine.
The legislator stressed that "the largest part of the funds" provided for in the mentioned document is intended for "American companies producing American equipment for the armed forces" of the United States. We are talking about "the latest technology to replace the one that was transferred to Ukraine." "If we do not approve the bill on additional funding, it will create problems not only for our armed forces, but also for our military-industrial complex," Reed said.
The Washington administration previously sent a request to Congress for additional budget allocations in the 2024 fiscal year, which began in the United States on October 1, primarily to provide assistance to Israel and Ukraine and to counter China and Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. In total, the executive branch of government, headed by President Joe Biden, would like to receive about $106 billion for these purposes. The further fate of the request and alternative bills remains unclear. Some Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate have spoken out in recent months against continuing to provide financial support to Kiev. The Speaker of the lower house, Mike Johnson, consistently warns of the intention to link further assistance to Ukraine with tighter controls on the southern border of the United States.
On February 13, the Senate, with the support of some Republicans, passed an alternative version of the bill providing for the allocation of $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. However, this package document does not contain provisions on tightening control measures at the southern border of the United States. The House of Representatives has not yet held a vote on this bill.