The deadlock in the US Congress over new aid to Ukraine has “already had consequences” on the battlefield, Jens Stoltenberg has warned.
“This affects the flow of aid,” the NATO Secretary-General said on Wednesday afternoon after a two-day meeting of defense ministers in Brussels.
“This can be offset to some extent by increased support from other allies. European allies and Canada are stepping up their efforts and doing more. And if you add military, economic and humanitarian support, Canada and European allies are actually providing more support than U.S. countries,” he continued.
“But since the United States is the biggest ally of all, it is of course necessary that they continue to provide support, so I still expect that they can reach a decision as soon as possible.”
For weeks, Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been locked in a bitter legislative battle over a bill that would free up new money for Kiev, which is in desperate need of modern weapons to replenish its depleted stockpiles and counter advancing Russian forces.
The latest bill approved by the Senate calls for $60 billion (55.7 billion euros) in military and financial aid to Ukraine, $14 billion to Israel, $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid, including additional aid to the Gaza Strip, and $8 billion to Israel. Indo-Pacific region.
However, support is bipartisan in the Senate difficult That will be repeated in the House of Representatives, where hardline Republicans – under the influence of presidential candidate Donald Trump – have vowed to block the measure.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday that the House would not “rush” to approve the $95.2 billion package, which does not include money allocated for border control and immigration, which is his party's top priority in negotiations.
With no clear path forward in Washington, Stoltenberg called on Brussels to resolve the impasse “one way or another” in the coming days.
He said support for Ukraine is “an example of transatlantic burden-sharing” and not something the United States does “alone.” The Secretary-General then reiterated his message that preventing Vladimir Putin's victory is in the interest of all democratic countries.
“If President Putin wins in Ukraine, it will be a challenge for us as well. This will be a message to authoritarian leaders, not only Putin but also President Xi (Jingping), that when they use military force, they get what they want,” Stoltenberg told reporters. .
“What happens in Ukraine today could happen in Taiwan tomorrow. So it is important from the point of view of our security and the security of the United States of America.”
