White House warns Ukraine risks grinding to a halt without further US aid

Money for aid to Ukraine will run out by the end of 2023 if the US Congress does not pass a new package, White House Budget Director Shalanda Young said in a letter to lawmakers, the Financial Times reports.

Without the approval of Congress, by the end of the year, Washington will run out of funds to help Ukraine.

"There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money — and nearly out of time. Cutting the flow of US weapons and equipment would kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories," Young warned.

She also noted that US military aid packages have already become smaller, and supplies have decreased.

"If Ukraine’s economy collapses, they will not be able to keep fighting, full stop. Putin understands this well, which is why Russia has made destroying Ukraine’s economy central to its strategy — which you can see in its attacks against Ukraine’s grain exports and energy infrastructure," the official wrote.

On October 20, 2023, US President Joe Biden called on Congress not to stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine. The White House has sent a request to Congress to allocate $106 billion in emergency funding to help Ukraine, Israel and strengthen US border security. In particular, $61.4 billion of them are intended for Ukraine.

According to an Ipsos poll conducted in mid-November, 41% of Americans support providing arms to Ukraine, and this is 10% more than support for providing arms to Israel.