U.S. expects more security assistance to Ukraine to be announced this month
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby responds to a question during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 7, 2023.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
U.S. National Security Spokesman John Kirby said Monday he expects the White House to announce additional security assistance for Ukraine, ahead of what it has described as a critical year-end deadline.
“We don’t have too many more weeks left in this year to be able to provide security assistance, so I would fully expect that you’re going to see us anounce additional security assistance before the end of the month,” Kirby said.
His comments come ahead of talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Tuesday.
Intense negotiations are ongoing on Capitol Hill as the White House pushes to pass Biden’s $110 billion package of wartime funding for Ukraine, Israel, and domestic border security.
Biden “will make it clear to President Zelenskyy that we’re standing firm on this supplemental request, we absolutely need to get additional funding to support Ukraine going forward,” and provide him with an update on the situation, Kirby said.
“He’ll keep urging the negotiations forward, urging compromise, with the goal of getting all these national security issues fully funded as we need. They’re all urgent, they’re all important,” Kirby told reporters on board Air Force One.
Kirby added that the talks come at a crucial time due to the situation in Ukraine.
“As winter approaches, we’re seeing increased missile and drone attacks by the Russian armed forces against civilian infrastructure. We expect that that will continue, particularly against energy infrastructure, and as the Russian forces continue to try to take offensive action against hte Ukrainians all along that front, but particularly in the east,” he said.
— Jenni Reid
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