Putin declares end to "freebies" in aid to Ukraine. US: It's his move, Congress decision needed

The US State Department has responded to dictator Volodymyr Putin's statement that Western aid to Ukraine is "running out" and said that Congress should cancel the Kremlin leader's bet, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

According to him, Putin confirmed that despite the huge losses of the Russian army, international isolation and economic problems, his goals in the war have not changed.

"He still wishes to conquer Ukraine, he still wishes to subjugate Ukraine, and nothing that he set out to accomplish in this campaign has he given up on, despite the fact that his army has been rolled back from their initial objectives, despite the fact, as I said, they’ve suffered a multitude of battlefield defeats," said Miller.

He noted that Putin made a bet that he would be able to "outlast" the West.

"And so what I will say is, for the part of this administration, we have made clear that we believe that bet is wrong and we believe that he will not outlast the West and he will not outlast the United States of America. And now it’s up for the United States Congress to prove that that bet is wrong," the diplomat emphasized.

During the "direct line" on December 14, Putin said that "everything is brought to Ukrainians for free", but "the freebie ends".

Earlier it became known that next week the US Senate will continue negotiations on the request of the White House, which should include funds for Ukraine.

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

On December 6, Biden appealed to Congress to approve additional funding for assistance to the Armed Forces. He emphasized that Putin will go further if he is not stopped in Ukraine – and then the American military will fight with the Russian.

The White House announced that money for aid to Ukraine will run out by the end of 2023 if the US Congress does not pass a new package.