The State Department has announced that the United States will not continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine at the levels seen in 2022 and 2023. This decision stems from Washington's desire to assist Ukraine in developing its own military-industrial base, enabling the country to finance, produce, and purchase weapons independently.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, during a briefing, stated,
"We will continue to support Ukraine… As long as it takes. That does not mean that we are going to continue to support them at the same level of military funding that we did in 2022 and 2023."
Miller highlighted the critical nature of the situation, stressing the need for Congress to pass the supplemental funding bill.
This urgency is underpinned by the current state of Ukraine's self-defense capabilities, which are not yet sufficient to rely solely on its resources.
"But we are not there yet, and that is why it is so critical that Congress pass the supplemental funding bill, because we are not yet at the point where Ukraine can defend itself just based on its own," Miller explained.
This announcement comes against the backdrop of earlier statements from the White House and President Joe Biden.
The White House had previously announced that the U.S. had no funds for further military aid to Ukraine until a new package was adopted by Congress.
Additionally, in response to a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine in late December, President Biden emphasized the necessity of Congress approving additional aid for Ukraine as soon as possible.
In October 2023, Biden had requested Congress to approve over $60 billion in supplementary funding for Ukraine, but this request faced delays in the Senate due to disagreements concerning the security of the U.S.-Mexican border.
The U.S. had announced a $250 million military package for Ukraine on December 27, marking the last aid package for 2023.
