From bloody trenches on the battlefield to crowded cities ravaged by Russian bombardment, millions of Ukrainians wait anxiously as the U.S. Congress prepares, after months of delay, to decide determine whether the United States will continue to provide their country with significant military support.
Private Pavlo Kaliuk, who was fighting to slow the Russian advance after the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka fell earlier this year, was on his way to the funeral of a fallen soldier when he was contacted. by phone on Friday.
“I was walking and thinking that maybe my friend who died in the war, who is now in the sky, will help the world and the United States support Ukraine,” he said.
Ukraine cannot count on divine intervention; Instead, they are counting on the House of Representatives to approve a $60 billion aid package on Saturday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky made matters clear, saying this week that without American support, his country could not win the war. William J. Burns, director of the CIA, was even more blunt when asked what would happen if American military aid did not continue.
“I think there is a very real risk that Ukraine could lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024, or at least put Putin in a position where he can essentially dictate the terms of a political settlement, ” he said Thursday in his speech. at the Bush Center Leadership Forum in Dallas.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, said there was “no plan B” if the aid measure failed.
“There has been a lot of controversy around this bill — and there will still be — so let's wait for the results,” he told reporters.
At a meeting in Capri on Friday, representatives of the G7, which includes the world's wealthiest democracies, vowed to find ways to support Ukraine and in particular strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities to save lives. civilians and protect the country's infrastructure.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary general, said the military alliance has compiled data on existing air defense systems and is working to redeploy some systems to Ukraine.
“It is now necessary to ensure that we have a stronger and more institutionalized framework around supporting Ukraine,” he told reporters in Italy.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, also speaking in Italy, said “Putin thinks he can wait for Ukraine and wait for Ukraine's support.”
“The message to Capri is: He can't,” the secretary said.
Congress has not passed a new military aid package for Ukraine since October, while the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that included $60 billion for Ukraine along with support for Israel and Taiwan. , the bill stalled again in the Republican-controlled House. Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has divided the package into a series of bills to try to rally members of his party to firmly oppose helping Ukraine.
If the tactic works and the measure is approved, Pentagon officials said military supplies could begin flowing into Ukraine immediately.
As the debate in Washington has raged over the past six months, the momentum of the war has shifted clearly in Moscow's favor. The number of civilian deaths is also increasing as Ukraine runs out of air defense interceptor missiles to counter Russia's daily attacks on critical infrastructure in populous cities.
On Friday, at least seven civilians, including two children, were killed in rocket attacks in the Dnipro region, including one attack near the main train station in the city of Dnipro. Four more civilians were killed in shelling of villages near the front lines in eastern Ukraine, officials said.
Mr. Kuleba, the Foreign Secretary, called U.S. aid “a matter of survival” and added, “And in a broader sense, it is a matter of survival for Ukraine.”
