for Ukraine. The spending package would also include funding for Israel, Taiwan, and US border security.
During a trip to Mexico City on Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US would be responsible for Ukraine’s defeat should Congress fail to approve US President Joe Biden’s latest supplemental spending package, according to media reports.
“I’ve talked to members of Congress, my colleagues have. I think they understand this, that this is a dire situation and we can hold ourselves responsible for Ukraine’s defeat if we don’t manage to get this funding to Ukraine that’s needed, and I’m including direct budget support here because that’s utterly essential,” Yellen told the media.
At the US Institute of Peace this week, Andrey Yermak, President Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, said not receiving this most recent spending package from the US exposes Ukraine to a “big risk” in losing its war.
The package would include $61 billion to Ukraine, which is nearly as much as the US has already spent on helping to weaponize the country. The US government has spent more than $75 billion on Ukraine thus far, a figure that does not include all war-related spending which is estimated to be about $113 billion.
“Ukraine is just running out of money,” Yellen said.
“They’re spending more than every penny they’re taking in, in tax revenue, on military salaries and defense, and they wouldn’t have any schools or hospital or first responders if not for the money we’re sending to them to support them,” added the US Treasury Secretary.
On Monday, US Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young told US lawmakers that as of mid-November the Pentagon had already spent 97% of the $62.3 billion it had received on Ukraine. She warned leaders that resources allocated for Ukraine are running out.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republican support for the Biden Administration latest supplemental spending package will have to include permanent changes to the US border policy. Before any further spending, wrote Johnson, funding is first dependent upon “enactment of transformative change to our nation’s border security laws”.
“Second,” Johnson wrote in a letter to Young, “Congress and the American people must be provided with answers to our repeated questions concerning: the Administration’s strategy to prevail in Ukraine; clearly defined and obtainable objectives; transparency and accountability for U.S. taxpayer dollars invested there; and what specific resources are required to achieve victory and a sustainable peace.”
On Tuesday, Zelensky was scheduled to appeal to the Senator was well as White House officials to discuss aid. The meeting, however, was called off by his team just minutes before it began. According to RT, the following briefing grew heated with some Republicans leaving early.
“The point is there’s no answer to any questions down there,” said Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE). “We’ve had it.”
