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Pentagon announces no more funding for Ukraine: Our partners will continue to do so

2024-01-23 19:55:59Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Pentagon announces no more funding for Ukraine: Our partners will continue to do
The war in Ukraine

For the first time since U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin launched the international group to help Ukraine in April 2022, the United States is welcoming the 50 participating nations to the next monthly meeting without a budget and without the ability to send munitions and missiles that Ukraine needs them to counter the Russian attack.

While Congress is expected to approve the budget and possibly more funding for the Ukraine war, the United States hopes that allies will continue to fill the gap.

"I urge this group to go one step further to provide Ukraine with more life-saving ground defense systems and missile defense systems," Secretary Austin said in his opening remarks from home, where he is recovering from surgery. for prostate cancer. The video statement was the first public appearance of Mr. Austin, who appeared slightly weakened. Secretary Austin, 70, remained in hospital for two weeks due to complications following surgery.

On Tuesday in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a new joint contract worth $1.2 billion to buy more than 222,000 155 millimeter ammunition rounds. This type of projectiles are among the most used munitions in this conflict and the contract will be used to supply the allies, who have meanwhile given Kiev their reserves.

"Although we are currently unable to provide security assistance, our partners will continue to do so," Pengaton deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday.

While attention has focused since October on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Russia's bloody war on Ukraine has continued.

Russia on Tuesday attacked Ukraine's two largest cities with more than 40 long-range missiles launched from ships and warplanes, damaging residential buildings and killing at least five people. The attack came a day after Moscow rejected the idea of ​​a deal backed by Kiev and Western allies to end the two-year war.

Ukrainian air defense intercepted at least 21 rockets, but the attacks left at least 20 people injured in four districts of Kyiv.

 

Ukraine is in dire need of air defense systems and ammunition, said spokeswoman Singh.

The Pentagon announced the latest US security assistance to Ukraine on December 27, worth $250 million, which included 155 mm shells, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and several other types of ammunition, which the United States took from existing stockpiles. american.

The United States has since been unable to provide additional munitions because the money to replenish the stockpile has been spent and Congress has yet to approve additional funds.

More than $110 billion in aid to Ukraine and Israel remains blocked because of disagreements between Congress and the White House over political priorities, including securing the border between the United States and Mexico.

The United States has provided Ukraine with over $44.2 billion in security assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. About $23.6 billion is in weapons that have been withdrawn from existing military stockpiles, and nearly $19 billion has been in the form of of long-term military contracts, for equipment that takes months to order. Although the funds have been spent, some of the weapons purchased earlier will continue to arrive in Ukraine. An amount of 1.7 billion dollars has been provided by the US Department of State in the form of military funding for foreign countries.

The United States and about 30 international partners are continuing to train Ukrainian forces and have so far trained 118,000 Ukrainians in various locations around the world, according to US Europe and Africa Command spokesman Marty O'Donnell.

The United States has trained about 18,000 of them, including about 16,300 soldiers in Germany. About 1,500 more are currently attending preparatory programs. /VOA


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