When it comes to funding Kiev, the US says it is \u201cat the end of the rope\u201d
The US is running out of money for Ukraine unless Congress approves additional funding, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.
\u201cIn the near term, we\u2019ve got appropriations and authorities for both Ukraine and for Israel,\u201d Kirby said during the daily press briefing. \u201cBut you don\u2019t want to be trying to bake in long-term support when you\u2019re at the end of the rope.\u201d
\u201cAnd in Ukraine, on the Ukraine funding, we\u2019re coming near to the end of the rope,\u201d he added. \u201cToday we announced $200 million, and we\u2019ll keep that aid going as long as we can, but it\u2019s not going to be indefinite.\u201d
Asked to define \u201cnear term,\u201d Kirby said he could not point to a specific date, because that depends on how quickly Ukraine and Israel expend their equipment and ammunition \u201cor what the need is and what our ability to do it is.\u201d
On Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesperson assured reporters that the US has the ability to \u201ccontinue our support both to Ukraine, Israel, and maintain our own global readiness.\u201d
Kirby, however, admitted that the money previously appropriated for Ukraine by Congress is \u201cnot going to last forever\u201d and that lawmakers need to approve more and soon.
\u201cThe sooner there\u2019s a speaker of the House, obviously, the more comfortable we\u2019ll all be in terms of being able to support Israel and Ukraine,\u201d he said.
The House of Representatives has not had a speaker since last Tuesday, when Kevin McCarthy became the first-ever speaker to be ousted in a House vote, over an alleged secret deal with the White House to approve more Ukraine funding. Several Republicans led the charge against their California colleague, backed by all of the minority Democrats. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the Republican nominee to succeed McCarthy, has been supportive of funding Ukraine in the past.
Since February 2022, when the conflict with Russia escalated, the US has channeled almost $44 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine, as well as billions more in cash, humanitarian, and economic assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n