KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian and Western leaders welcomed on Sunday Much-needed aid package The bill was passed by the US House of Representatives after the Kremlin warned that it would lead to “further destruction” in Ukraine and more deaths.
Ukrainian commanders and analysts say the long-awaited $61 billion military aid package, including $13.8 billion in arms purchases for Ukraine, will help slow Russia's gradual advance in the third year of the war. However, he said Kiev would likely need more money to get back on the offensive.
The House of Representatives quickly approved $95 billion in foreign aid Democrats and Republicans united after months of far-right resistance and addressed Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies in a rare Saturday session over renewed support for the U.S. counterattack. Russia's full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who had warned that his country would lose the war without U.S. funding, said he was grateful for the U.S. lawmakers' decision.
President Zelenskyy said on NBC's “Meet the Press” that the aid package “sends a strong signal to the Kremlin that (Ukraine) will not become another Afghanistan.”
President Zelenskyy said Ukraine would prioritize long-range weapons and air defense to “defeat Russia's plans” in an expected “all-out offensive” that the Ukrainian military is preparing.
The aid package now goes to the U.S. Senate, where it could be passed as early as Tuesday. US President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.
It could still be weeks before it reaches the front lines where it is desperately needed.
“Now we can stop (Russian troops) and reduce losses,” infantryman Oleksandr said. He continues to fight around the city of Avdiivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region. We lost to Russia in February. After months of intense fighting.
Ammunition shortages related to aid holdups over the past six months have prompted Ukrainian military commanders to ration shells, but Russia took advantage of the disadvantage this year, capturing the city of Avdiivka and now also It is gradually approaching the town of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region.
“Russian troops come in waves, and we are exhausted and forced to leave our positions. This happens again and again,” Oleksandr told The Associated Press. For security reasons, he did not give his full name. “Not having enough ammunition means we can't cover the areas we're responsible for defending when they attack us.”
In Kiev, many hailed the U.S. vote as good news after a difficult period in which Russia racked up gains on the front and stepped up attacks on Ukraine's energy systems and other infrastructure.
“I heard our president publicly say that without this support we could lose the war. Thank you very much, yesterday was a great event,” said Katerina Ruda. 43) said.
Tatyana Lyavchenuk, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier, pointed to the need for more weapons and lamented that soldiers “have nothing to protect us.”
“They need weapons, they need equipment, they need it. We always need help. Because there is a possibility of reaching ,'' the 26-year-old said.
Other Western leaders, who are scrambling to figure out how to bridge the gap created by the slowdown in U.S. military aid, also praised Congress' decision.
“Ukraine is using weapons provided by NATO allies to destroy Russia's combat capabilities. This will make all of us in Europe and North America safer,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Su. Toltenberg posted on X.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “Ukraine deserves all possible support against Russia,'' while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the vote “a powerful move in our time.'' “Signal.''
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed his gratitude to Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and also noted the stalemate in parliament. “Better late than never. And I hope it's not too late for Ukraine,” he wrote to X.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday that the approval of aid to Ukraine was “expected and predictable.”
The Russian news agency Rianovosti quoted Peskov as saying that the decision “will make the United States richer, it will ruin Ukraine even more and it will lead to the deaths of even more Ukrainians. This is the responsibility of the Kiev regime.” Ta.
Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, said: “The new aid package will not save lives; on the contrary, it will kill thousands more people, prolong the conflict, and cause more grief and devastation.'' I guess so.'' he wrote on Telegram.
The Institute for War Studies, a Washington-based think tank, says the logistics of getting U.S. aid to the front lines mean “Ukrainian forces could suffer further setbacks” while waiting for its arrival. Stated.
“However, if U.S. aid resumes, they will be able to blunt the current Russian offensive,” it said in its latest assessment of the conflict.
Oleksiy Haran, a professor of comparative politics at the Academy of Kyiv-Molya State University, said that while Ukraine appreciates the aid from the United States and other Western countries, “the problem is, frankly, it's too late and not enough.'' That's true.''
“This year is the third year of the war, and we still do not have aviation, new aviation. We cannot close the sky, because we do not have enough missiles. Moreover, recently there were not even artillery shells. ” he said.
“That is why the situation is so difficult and the Russian military took advantage of it and launched an attack. That is why it is so important for us. And definitely if we had received it six months ago, including civilians. Many Ukrainian lives would have been saved.”
Matthew Saville, head of military science at the Royal Joint Forces Institute think tank, said that while the aid was welcome, it would “probably only help stabilize Ukraine's position this year and begin preparing for operations in 2025.” Deaf,” he said.
“The predictability of funding for 2024-2025 will help Ukrainians plan their national defense this year, especially if ammunition supplies from Europe are also obtained, but further planning and funding will be available in 2025. “We need a US election between now and then,” he said.
“It depends on when there are actually weapons on the ground,” Zelensky said in response to a question from NBC about how long Ukraine would need aid.
“The decision to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighters was made a year ago,” he said. “Ukraine still doesn't have jets.”
In other developments:
—On the ground, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that Russian troops had captured the village of Bohdanivka in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials have not yet commented.
— One person was killed and four others injured in Russian shelling in Ukraine's Ukrainian region on Sunday, according to the prosecutor's office in Ukraine's partially occupied Donetsk region. Four people were injured in the missile attack in the Odesa region, Governor Ole Kipel said.
— Two suspects were detained Sunday after two Ukrainian soldiers killed a police officer at a checkpoint in the Vinnytsia region. Soldiers opened fire on Maksim Zaretsky, 20, as he stopped his car for a routine inspection early Saturday morning. Zaretsky's partner was injured but survived. Ivan Vykhovsky, head of Ukraine's National Police, said the suspects, a father and son aged 52 and 26, were captured in Ukraine's Odessa region.
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Elise Morton reported from London. Vasilisa Stepanenko and Jill Lawless contributed to this report from Kyiv.
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