The commander of the US forces in Europe, Christopher Cavoli, spoke in Congress and called on US lawmakers to urgently approve funding for assistance to Ukraine. Among the main arguments of the general is his statement that in a few weeks Russia will outnumber Ukraine in artillery 10 to 1. This was reported by UNN, citing Cavoli's statement .
The seriousness of this moment cannot be overstated.
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Cavoli told Congress on Wednesday that Ukraine would lose artillery shells and air defense assets "fairly quickly" without US support, leaving them vulnerable to partial or total defeat.
Arguing for the artillery shortage, General Christopher Cavoli, commander of European Command, told the House Armed Services Committee that Russia is currently firing five artillery shells for every one fired by Ukrainian forces, and thus the proportional gap could increase to 1:10 in the coming weeks.
If one side can shoot and the other side cannot shoot back, the side that cannot shoot back loses. So, the stakes are very high. This year they really depend on us, Mr. Chairman. And without our support, they cannot win.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to schedule a vote on a bill that would provide an additional $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine. However, the White House is trying to find ways to send aid to Kyiv.
Some lawmakers have expressed growing frustration with the lack of progress on the funding for Ukraine that the Senate has already passed.
During the hearings, Democratic Representative Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said that Johnson should put on his "big pants" and make the hard choices, even at the risk of losing his job.
"This is what leadership is," Slotkin said.
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President Joe Biden's administration has expressed concern about the lack of funding for Ukraine. Last month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that Ukraine's survival was at risk and tried to reassure allies of the US commitment to Kyiv.
Officials say the lack of available funding is already affecting places in Ukraine where Russian troops are advancing and Ukrainian forces are struggling to manage limited resources. They also believe that European support for Ukraine will not be enough.
On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced that it has transferred to Ukraine thousands of infantry weapons and more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition that were seized over a year ago from an Iranian shipment for Houthi forces in Yemen.