Ukraine has plan, but faces huge risk of losing war with Russia without US help

Olena Roshchina — Wednesday, 6 December 2023, 09:01

ANDRII YERMAK AT A MEETING WITH THE MILITARY. STOCK PHOTO: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE

Kyiv has urged the US Congress to vote on an aid package for Ukraine in the shortest possible time, as delaying the supplies of US aid to Kyiv would risk Ukraine losing the war with Russia.

Source: The Voice of America (VOA), citing Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office

Quote: "It gives the big risk that we can be in the same position to which we're located now. It makes this very high possibility impossible to continually liberate [Ukraine] and give the big risk to lose this war."

Details: This is how Andrii Yermak described the risks in the event of a delay in the provision of US aid on 5 December.

Yermak stated that the refusal of direct budget support for Ukraine poses a threat, as the Ukrainian government expects a budget deficit of US$43 billion next year.

"Of course, without this direct budget support, it will be difficult to stay… in (the) same positions and… for the people to really survive… in the situation when the war will continue," he said.

Yermak, who is visiting Washington for the second time in the past few weeks, urged Congress to vote on the aid package as soon as possible, saying Kyiv has a plan for next year.

Quote: "We really have a plan and this plan… includes military operations… includes diplomatic activity and of course it includes our cooperation in the communications and information sphere," he said.

Details: The Office of the President reported that its head Andrii Yermak, as well as Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, and Defence Minister Rustem Umierov, met with Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mike Turner, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Armed Forces Committee, during their visit to the USA.

Background:

On 4 December, White House officials said that the US was running out of previously allocated aid to Ukraine and that the lack of further aid could help Vladimir Putin win the war. Shalanda Young, Director of the US Office of Management and Budget, has written to the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties about this.
Jake Sullivan, US National Security Adviser, urged Congress to support the White House's request for additional funding for Ukraine, warning that refusing to vote in favour would help the Russian Federation.
On 5 December, Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Senate, said that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had cancelled an online briefing for US senators, during which he was to talk about the situation on the front line and Kyiv's need for weapons. This was reportedly due to the changing situation in the war.
In October, the Biden administration asked Congress for nearly US$106 billion to fund aid to Ukraine and Israel and guarantee US border security, but Republicans, who control the House of Representatives by a narrow majority, rejected the package.
American officials hope that they will still be able to get the package approved, which will provide significant aid to Ukraine.
On 26 November, Mariana Bezuhla, a member of Ukrainian parliament from the Sluha Narodu [Servant of the People - ed.] party, claimed that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhnyi, had not provided parliament with a plan for the next year, but NATO has said that the Ukrainian military leadership has a plan for how to conduct the war.