EGN NEWS DESK
The Biden administration introduced on Tuesday that it was sending as much as $300 million in weapons to Ukraine, the primary new support package deal for the nation since funding ran out in late December.
The package deal, pulled collectively from cash that Army accountants cobbled from financial savings from contracts that got here in underneath bid, consists of air protection interceptors, artillery rounds and armor methods, senior protection officers stated. It was unclear whether or not the measure included longer-range missiles often called ATACMs.
It is a stopgap measure at greatest, the officers stated, however Ukraine is in dire want of air protection methods particularly, as Russia has continued its bombardment of cities significantly within the east.
The makeshift answer would hold advancing Russian troops at bay for only some weeks, one official stated.
The Senate handed an emergency support invoice together with $60.1 billion for Ukraine. But the measure faces an unsure destiny within the House of Representatives, the place Republican leaders have refused to place the measure to a vote. While congressional officers say there’s a important mass of help for persevering with to arm Ukraine in its struggle in opposition to Russian aggression, the Republican Party is more and more turning away from its conventional hawkish posture and perception in projecting American energy and democratic ideas around the globe.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican of Louisiana who has opposed aiding Ukraine, should navigate a handful of ultraconservative lawmakers who’ve stated they may transfer to oust him if he permits a vote on Ukraine support with out stringent immigration measures hooked up.
For President Biden, who has led the way in which in calling for the West to face up for Ukraine in opposition to Russia’s invasion and occupation, the problem has turn into an embarrassing one on the worldwide stage.
The American political paralysis has led, Pentagon officers stated, to important shortages on the battlefields of Ukraine. As every day goes by and not using a contemporary provide of munitions and artillery, and Ukrainian crews ration the shells they’ve, morale is struggling.
Since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration has despatched greater than $75 billion in money and gear to the nation for its protection. Most of the help has gone to Ukraine’s army operations, maintaining its authorities working and addressing its humanitarian wants.
The cash ran out in December, and Mr. Biden requested Congress for the authority to start a brand new infusion of money and gear that solely Congress can approve. But many Republicans object to pouring extra taxpayer {dollars} into the battle.
