Senior US official in Ukraine confident Congress will back aid package
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US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said she was impressed with the "unity and resolve" she saw in Kyiv.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV - A senior US diplomat expressed confidence on Jan 31 that Congress would back new aid for Ukraine, reflecting broad American support for its war effort, adding she was impressed with the “unity and resolve” she saw in Kyiv.
Ukraine is heavily reliant on support from its Western allies, particularly the United States, to hold its own against Russia’s full-scale invasion, now approaching the two-year mark.
Uncertainty surrounds US economic and military assistance for Ukraine
The request has been stalled by Republicans’ insistence
“Bipartisan support for Ukraine remains strong across the country,” US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told reporters after a day of talks with Ukrainian leaders.
“The American people understand and admire the miracle that Ukraine has already achieved in defending itself against this vicious Russian aggression. They also understand what happens if you continue not only to survive, but to thrive.
“I have great confidence that that understanding will be reflected in the vote that the Congress makes on this request from President Bidend,” said Ms Nuland, who has visited Ukraine several times over the past 10 years.
Ms Nuland said a new “small-diameter” bomb able to hit targets at greater distances would soon arrive in the country. Sources this week said the new weapon could be in Ukraine within days.
“We continue to provide security support in all categories, including new investments and new weapons systems,” she said. “Like the small-diameter bomb that is on its way to the front.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff has said that postponement of US assistance for Kyiv would create a “big risk” of Ukraine losing the war with Russia.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told European Union officials on Jan 31 that a failure by Congress to act on funding would hand a victory to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
Funding from the EU has also been stalled.
EU leaders will discuss the future of an EU military fund at a summit on Feb 1 and try to reach agreement on a four-year economic aid plan for €50 billion (S$72 billion).
Ms Nuland said she was leaving Kyiv “more encouraged about (Ukraine’s) unity and resolve, about 2024 and its absolute strategic importance for Ukraine”.
She predicted Ukrainian military successes in 2024 and that Mr Putin “is going to get some nice surprises on the battlefield”.
Long-running differences between Mr Zelensky and the commander of Ukrainian forces, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, prompted a flurry of reports this week that the President had asked his commander to step down.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Jan 31 that Ukraine’s ground forces commander had declined an offer to take over the job. REUTERS
