Three US congressmen visiting Kiev on Monday promised Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky continued American assist, however warned that Israel now requires Washington’s consideration as properly.
Zelensky’s workplace shared a five-minute video of the assembly between the Ukrainian management and the US delegation, consisting of Republican J. French Hill of Arkansas and Democrats Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Mike Quigley of Illinois.
“We respect you, the Republican and Democratic Occasion, the administration of President Joseph Biden, and likewise each homes of the American Congress united in assist of Ukraine,” Zelensky instructed his guests. “It will ship a robust sign to the world for individuals who will win within the wrestle for our religious values – freedom and democracy.”
Hill assured Zelensky of “bipartisan assist” on Capitol Hill however famous that the US now needed to cope with serving to Israel in its struggle towards Hamas in Gaza.
“Your combat is our combat,” mentioned Lynch, vowing that Congress will preserve funding assist to Ukraine.
Quigley, who’s a serious booster of Kiev, urged Zelensky to supply extra arguments for financial and humanitarian assist along with the army help, including that the US is occupied with serving to Ukraine “change into extra self-sufficient” when it comes to ammunition provide.
“I perceive that there’s a want for 155 mm shells, however Israel wants them too,” Quigley instructed Zelensky, in accordance with the Kiev translation of his remarks.
It was unclear what sort of self-sufficiency Quigley had in thoughts, since Ukraine has been fully dependent on Western deliveries of weapons and ammunition for over a yr, as each its army and its business grew to become degraded by the battle with Russia.
Biden has requested Congress for $64 billion in funding for Ukraine, bundled within the $104 billion invoice that features assist for Israel. Final week, the White Home modified its “messaging” technique to argue that sending Kiev cash is definitely “strengthening the American economic system and creating new American jobs.”
Whereas US army contractors have pocketed a lot of the $44 billion in army assist the US has allotted to Kiev since February of final yr, this has not translated into extra American jobs or industrial manufacturing, NBC Information reported on Saturday.
Visiting the US final month, Zelensky instructed Congress that if US assist dries up, Ukraine “will lose,” in accordance with a Time Journal story revealed on Monday. Even when the US and its allies can in some way keep the tempo of weapons and ammunition deliveries, Ukraine has taken so many casualties at this level that it doesn’t have the lads to make use of them, a few of Zelensky’s aides not too long ago instructed Time.
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