(UnitedVoice.com) – The war in Ukraine has surpassed its second anniversary. Both sides have suffered significant losses, and so far, there is no end in sight. Ukraine is largely relying on the West, including the United States, to provide it with the aid it needs to fight off its aggressor. However, due to squabbling in Congress, there has been very little success in granting future aid to the war-torn country. President Joe Biden recently held talks with congressional leaders, expressing how dire the situation is.
The Fight for Aid
The House has been a mess for quite some time. Infighting has resulted in the dragging out of several appropriations bills needed to fund the government and avoid a full shutdown. The 12 bills are supposed to be passed by the beginning of the fiscal year, but it’s been one delay after another. The Lower Chamber has passed continuing resolutions to delay the shutdown, but now they’re running out of time.
One of the pressing issues at hand is funding for Ukraine. Some lawmakers, however, are beginning to experience fatigue, where they’re getting tired of funding the country without a firm limit set in place. Many are demanding accountability, citing corruption, before they will approve any additional aid packages.
Ukraine Falling?
One of the major concerns, per National Security Council Adviser John Kirby, is Ukraine running out of ammunition. This has resulted in soldiers having to make “some real tough decisions about what they’re going to shoot at and what they’re going to shoot at it with.” He refused to put a date on the exact moment Ukraine will run out of ammunition and “lose the war,” but he acknowledged that they are “beginning to lose territory.”
Losing territory could be extremely detrimental to Ukraine, which has managed to not only fight off Russian aggression but also reclaim some of the territory that it initially lost.
To that effect, Biden and the White House have led “intense talks” with congressional leaders to see what they can achieve as far as funding. Republicans are loathe to pass another aid package without border measures attached to it. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) noted during the talks that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out that if his country doesn’t “get aid quickly … Ukraine could fall.” He said the meeting that took place in the Oval Office was “one of the most intense [he’s] ever encountered.”
Now, the White House is doing its best to get Congressional leaders to introduce and pass a supplemental spending bill that could provide around $60 billion to Ukraine, as well as $14 billion for Israel and $9 billion for humanitarian assistance in the Gaza region.
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