The Pentagon will provide support to Ukraine even in the event of a temporary suspension of the US government.
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This was stated by spokesman for the department Chris Sherwood after a meeting between Vladimir Zelensky and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and senior US military officials, CNN and Politico reported.
Sherwood assured that the training of Ukrainian soldiers by American instructors, as well as the supply of weapons to Kyiv, will continue, despite any potential government shutdown.
The fiscal year in the United States ends on September 30, and Congress has still not reached an agreement on approving funding for a number of government agencies for the next one. This is fraught with a temporary suspension of their work.
Typically, the suspension does not affect critical organizations and departments vital to national security, such as the army. However, due to the fact that budget expenditures are set by a decision of Congress, it is theoretically possible to stop the funding and work of any government organization.
One of the controversial issues in the future budget is the allocation of $24 billion in support of Ukraine, which is blocking some Republicans. The Speaker of the House of Representatives once again said on September 21 that he would not bring the issue up for a vote until the end of 2023.
If we don’t get help, we’ll lose the war,” President Zelensky said at a meeting with American senators during a visit to Washington.
According to Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Zelensky summed up the conversation with a call to approve increased funding for Ukraine.
There was one sentence that concludes this conversation, and I quote it verbatim, Mr. Zelensky said: “If we don’t get help, we are losing the war.” This is his quote,” CNN quoted Schumer as saying.
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell added that it was a “good meeting.”
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy said that he has not changed his position and will not support approval of the $24 billion aid package to Ukraine, and will not put this issue to a vote until the end of the year. He added that he asked Zelensky a number of questions, and the conversation with him was “good and productive.”
The Wall Street Journal writes that on the day of Zelensky’s visit, 23 members of the House of Representatives and six senators wrote a letter to the US President, asking him not to provide additional aid to Ukraine.
The White House spoke about the results of Zelensky’s meeting in the US Congress.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.