We are looking for opportunities in the government, but there is no substitute for the approval of the funding request by Congress: Kirby on Ukraine aid
Kyiv • UNN
The U.S. government is exploring alternative ways to support Ukraine, but none of them can replace the approval of the additional funding request by Congress, which is crucial for continued assistance to Ukraine, especially in 2024.
The U.S. government and the entire administration are looking for other opportunities to support Ukraine, but none of these efforts can replace the approval of the request for additional funding by Congress. This was reported by the representative of the US National Security Council John Kirby in an interview with the Voice of America, UNN reports.
We will continue to work with Congress to secure this additional funding. It is so important! We are also working with allies and partners on possible contributions. This does not mean that they are not making them - they are. But we want to see what else we can do. And, of course, we're looking within our own system, within our own government and within the entire administration, to see if there's anything else we can do to support Ukraine. But none of these efforts can replace the scope, the scale that would be provided by the approval of the request for additional funding
According to him, the United States is always looking at other opportunities that it can use.
"But whatever they are, they will not be as good as a request for additional funding. There is no substitute for it. As I've said many times, there is no magic source (of funds - ed.) that can do what additional funding can do. Are we considering options? Absolutely. We have to, given the situation on the ground, especially in the east," Kirby said.
Asked if he still believed that the request for additional funding could be approved, Kirby replied: "It's hard to say for sure. It's really going to be up to Speaker Johnson. We know, and Speaker Johnson knows, that if he brings it to a vote, the bill will pass. There is sufficient bipartisan support for it, in both parties. There is no question about it. The real question is: Will he bring it to a vote? Only he can answer that question.
Addendum
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that in March Ukraine would come out of the financial gap, but US support is crucial not in terms of the first quarter, but in terms of 2024 as a whole.
