US confirms halt of military supplies to Ukraine
(Baonghean.vn) - White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced on January 11 that the flow of US military aid to Kiev has now stopped. His statement was made in the context of the US Congress debating whether to continue supporting Ukraine or not.
“We have issued the final withdrawal authority that we have funding to support, and that is why it is so important that Congress quickly implements the national security supplemental request,” Kirby told reporters at the briefing, acknowledging that “the (US) support has now stopped.”
The final $250 million aid package was approved by President Joe Biden in late December using presidential withdrawal powers, which allow for emergency shipments of weapons to allies without congressional approval.
Earlier this month, Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder warned that the military was running out of options “to replenish the stockpile.” While President Biden has publicly pledged to support Kiev “for as long as necessary,” some Republicans and media have questioned Washington’s current strategy, as Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive has ended without significant territorial gains.
Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s top general, admitted last year that the conflict was “at a stalemate.” EU officials have also increasingly acknowledged that arms deliveries to Ukraine have been delayed by production and logistics problems.
“Europe does not know how to fight,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said in a recent interview. “Unfortunately, our friends spend too much time pondering how and when to increase the production of weapons and ammunition.”