WASHINGTON- The White House warned this Monday that the US only had funds available for an additional aid package Ukraine this year due to a deadlock in the US Congress.
“We only have one aid package left” before the funds for Ukraine are “depleted,” said spokesman John Kirby, who declined to disclose the amount.
The US Congress has agreed to disburse more than $110 billion since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, but Republicans are currently blocking a major aid package and demanding a strategy that would win a nearly two-year audit of Ukraine sets out funds and, first, the security of the borders of the United States in the face of the avalanche of migration since the arrival of President Joe Biden in the White House in January 2021.
In order to approve the aid, they are calling for important changes to US immigration policy, including tightening it at the border with Mexico. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported more than eight million encounters since Biden took office. Republicans accuse him of promoting open border policies that have led to chaos at the border and affected major cities in the United States.
A few days before the parliamentary recess for the Christmas celebrations, congressmen approved a defense budget for 2024 that mobilizes 300 million dollars for Kiev, a minimum amount compared to the 61,000 million requested by the White House.
“Once we send the aid, we will no longer have authorization (…) and we will need Congress to act immediately,” said Kirby, who assured that the delivery of aid to Ukraine “is in line with the national interest of the United States” and is essential because “can continue its fight for freedom.”
President Joe Biden is ready to “reach a compromise,” Kirby said.
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SPRING: With information from AFP and editorial