WASHINGTON – Leaders of US intelligence agencies urgently pressed members of the House of Representatives on March12 to approve additional military assistance for Ukraine, saying it would not only boost Kyiv as it fights Russia but discourage Chinese aggression.

“That has consequences for American interests that go... directly to our interests in the Indo-Pacific,” Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns told the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee’s annual hearing on worldwide threats to US security.

“That kind of an outcome will stoke the ambitions of the Chinese leadership, and they’re going to undermine the faith that our partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific have in our reliability,” Mr Burns said.

Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, an ally of former president Donald Trump, has so far refused to call a vote on a Bill that would provide US$60 billion (S$80 billion) more for Ukraine more than two years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

The measure has passed the Democratic-run Senate, and both Republicans and Democrats in the House say it would pass if the Chamber’s Republican leaders allowed a vote.

Representative Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, noted that some members of Congress support aid to Ukraine but “I believe, mistakenly” contend that Kyiv can afford a delay.

Mr Burns agreed, saying, “I can already see the Ukrainian military rationing ammunition, you can already see them becoming more vulnerable to Russian attacks from the air, from drones, from missiles, from aircraft,” he told the committee. REUTERS