The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns said that without the American aid package, Ukraine will lose the war by the end of 2024.
Speaking at an event at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, Burns called on lawmakers to vote for aid to Ukraine as soon as possible, writes Politico.
The CIA director said that with this help, the Ukrainians will be able to hold their ground and destroy Putinʼs confidence that time is on his side. Otherwise, there is a real risk of defeat on the battlefield by the end of the year and the threat that Russia will be able to dictate its terms.
Burns believes that aid to Ukraine also affects the geopolitical situation. This will affect Chinese leader Xi Jinpingʼs ambitions for Taiwan and give confidence to allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
Politico noted that this is perhaps the strongest warning from a senior US administration official about the war.
At the beginning of April 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that without the help of the United States, Ukraine would lose the war.
- US military aid to Ukraine was exhausted at the end of 2023. Last year in October, Joe Biden submitted a request to Congress for the allocation of $106 billion, of which more than $61 billion is intended for Ukraine, mostly for the purchase of weapons from the United States. The rest of the funds from the package were intended for Israel, aid to the Asia-Pacific region, humanitarian activities in the Gaza Strip, etc. However, the request was not approved due to political disputes.
- Subsequently, an alternative draft law appeared on the $95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, of which $61 billion is for Ukraine. The US Senate voted for him on February 13, 2024. Both houses of the US Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) must approve the legislation before President Joe Biden can sign it. However, the US House of Representatives adjourned without voting for aid to Ukraine.
- On April 16, 2024, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson presented four separate bills on aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and national security priorities. Bills are planned to be submitted for consideration on April 20. The White House and the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Senate are ready to consider these four bills, and Joe Biden promises immediate signing.
- On April 17, the full text of the draft law on assistance to Ukraine was published on the website of the House of Representatives. The document provides for almost $61 billion in aid, of which $23 billion is for replenishing US arsenals. According to him, the US president should provide ATACMS missiles to Ukraine if he believes that this will not harm American interests.