US President Joe Biden urged Congress on Friday to “act without further delay” after “massive bombings” in Ukraine, while negotiations remain stalled over approving a massive aid package for Kiev.
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“Unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending badly needed weapons and air defense systems to Ukraine to protect its people,” the leader warned in a press release.
Moscow launched a large series of missile and drone strikes on several cities in Ukraine, including the capital, Kiev, on Friday morning, killing at least 18 people and wounding 132 others, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Joe Biden stressed that “in the face of this brutal attack, Ukraine deployed air defense systems provided by the United States and its allies.”
“We cannot let Ukraine down,” he said, urging Congress to “act without further delay.”
Republican and Democratic elected officials are still negotiating the approval of the $61 billion package insisted on by President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
But nearly two years into the lingering war—and with Congress having already released more than $110 billion—Republicans, in particular, are beginning to find the bill too expensive.
They link their support for this new circumstance to a radical tightening of US immigration policy, an issue over which negotiations continue.
Meanwhile, the United States released the latest batch of military aid available to Ukraine on Wednesday.
The White House also reported that there was a call between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Polish counterpart, Jacek Siwira, regarding a Russian missile entering the airspace of this NATO member state.
The American executive confirmed that “President Biden is following this matter closely.”
