Top US officials made the case for continuing to support Ukraine on Tuesday, addressing Congress and warning of the dire consequences of stopping military aid.
Why now?
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President Joe Biden has combined military aid for Ukraine and Israel in a proposed $106 billion package, but a significant number of Republicans in Congress – among whom support for Ukraine's fight against Russia’s invasion is faltering – are opposed to linking the two.
Speaking to Congress, the US Secretaries of State and Defense made the case to sustain support for Ukraine and warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to use the Israel-Hamas war to reduce Western support for Kyiv, AFP reports.
What did they say?
“I can guarantee you that without our support, Putin will be successful,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a Senate hearing on the supplemental funding request.
“If we pull the rug out from under them now, Putin will only get stronger and he will be successful in doing what he wants to do in acquiring his neighbor’s sovereign territory,” he said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the same hearing that a halt to US assistance for Ukraine could encourage other countries to follow suit.
“This is an instance where we’ve seen very significant burden-sharing that would almost certainly go away if we go away,” he said.
“The message it would send... to each and every one of these countries is that the United States is abandoning ship – well, we may as well do, too.”
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Blinken said Putin is meanwhile “trying to take advantage of the Hamas attack on Israel in the hopes that it will distract us... and that it will result in the United States pulling back its resources” from Ukraine.
How big are those resources?
Washington is by far the biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine, committing about $43.9 billion since Russian forces invaded in February 2022 – assistance that has helped Kyiv regain ground seized by Moscow.
But Republican opposition has put future assistance for Kyiv in doubt, and the US government has had to rely on previously authorized aid in the absence of new funding from Congress.
Did anything else happen at the hearings?
The hearing was repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom cried out “Ceasefire now,” “Palestinians are not animals” and “Shame on you all” before being removed from the room.
Some two dozen people also raised hands covered in paint in a symbol of the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, while several wore messages of “Free Gaza” written on their arms and held signs demanding “No more $$$ 4 Israel.”
Blinken also discussed what might come after the current conflict, saying the Palestinian Authority should retake control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas, which has ruled the territory since 2007.
“At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza,” Blinken said.
“It may involve international agencies that would help provide for both security and governance,” Blinken said, adding that there cannot be a “reversion of the status quo with Hamas running Gaza.”
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