| NATO says it’s ready to back Kyiv for years in war against Russia | Don’t further test our patience , Russia warns West
From Sandra Johnson
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden is asking Congress for $33bn to support Ukraine, a massive sum that he says will help Ukrainians continue to fight Russia’s “brutal” invasion that is intensifying in the east of the country.
Speaking to reporters from the White House on Thursday, Biden said assistance to Ukraine is a “small price to pay” to defeat Russia and reduce the possibility of future conflict.
“The cost of this fight, it’s not cheap, but caving to aggression is going to be more costly if we allow it to happen,” he said. “We either back the Ukrainian people as they defend their country or we stand by as the Russians continue their atrocities and aggression in Ukraine.”
Biden did not specify the amount of money he is seeking, but earlier on Thursday, senior administration officials said the White House wants $33bn in supplemental funding for Ukraine.
Last month, the United States Congress approved $13.6bn in assistance to Kyiv, but the Biden administration has said it already used much of the funds.
During the past weeks, Washington has announced large military and government aid packages to Ukraine.
Congress has the authority to allocate money for the executive branch, which dispenses foreign aid. So far, US lawmakers have almost unanimously backed assistance for Ukraine.
“Basically, we’re out of money,” Biden said on Thursday. “And so that’s why today, in order to sustain Ukraine as it continues to fight, I’m sending Congress a supplemental budget request. It’s going to keep weapons and ammunition flowing without interruption to the brave Ukrainian fighters and continue delivering economic and humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people.”
Meanwhile, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday NATO was ready to maintain its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia for years, including help for Kyiv to shift from Soviet-era weapons to modern Western arms and systems.
He spoke after the Kremlin warned that Western arms supplies to Ukraine, including heavy weapons, posed a threat to the security of the European continent “and provoke instability”.
“We need to be prepared for the long term,” Stoltenberg told a youth summit in Brussels. “There is absolutely the possibility that this war will drag on and last for months and years.”
The NATO chief said the West would continue to put maximum pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”, through sanctions and economic as well as military aid to Kyiv.
“NATO allies are preparing to provide support over a long period of time and also help Ukraine to transit, move from old Soviet-era equipment to more modern NATO-standard weapons and systems that will also require more training,” Stoltenberg said.
On the other hand, Russia on Thursday warned the West that there would be a tough military response to any further attack on Russian territory, accusing the United States and its key European allies of openly inciting Ukraine to assault Russia.
Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and raised fears of the most serious confrontation between Russia and the United States since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Two months since Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia has in recent days reported what it says are a series of attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russian regions which border Ukraine, and has warned that such attacks risk a significant escalation.
Ukraine has not directly accepted responsibility but says the incidents are payback, while Russia has taken umbrage at statements from NATO-member Britain that it is legitimate for Ukraine to target Russian logistics.
“In the West, they are openly calling on Kyiv to attack Russia including with the use of weapons received from NATO countries,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow. “I don’t advise you to test our patience further.”
