US Defense Secretary and Secretary of State say support for Ukraine and Israel must be united

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken argued during a hearing at the Senate Appropriations Committee that Ukraine may lose the war without the financial support of the United States and NATO.

Source: Voice of America

Details: Blinken said that if the US stopped supporting Ukraine, its European allies will likely also withdraw their support.

He said that NATO has been particularly united and has grown stronger since the beginning of Putin’s full-scale aggression in Ukraine. Blinken said some NATO members have stepped up their engagement significantly, adding that while this is an example of effective burden-sharing, it will likely disappear if the US withdraws its support for Ukraine.

Quote from Blinken: "There is no doubt in my mind that if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is allowed to continue to act with impunity that not only would he not stop in Ukraine, but potentially go to a NATO country next, which would invoke our Article 5 obligations to our allies and partners."

"It would send a message to would-be aggressors everywhere in the world that if he can get away with it, so can we." This will result, according to Blinken, in a world full of conflict, which is not what the US wants. He argued it was better to continue efforts and ensure success in Ukraine now than to pay a higher price later, when the US might have to deal directly with aggression.

Details: Meanwhile, Austin said that if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he will not stop at that, with the Baltic States feeling they will be next. Austin added that he believes Putin will eventually confront NATO, dragging the US into the war.

Austin said that the US understands Putin’s strategy is to drag out the war and stressed that the US is doing everything it can to support Ukraine.

He reiterated that the wars in Ukraine and Israel have an impact on US national interests.

Quote from Austin: "In Ukraine, Putin has felt that he could wait us out. That’s… the main part of his strategy.

He feels that the West will get tired of supporting Ukraine, and he will soon have his way. If that's the case, if we don't support Ukraine, then Putin wins." If Putin wins, he will not stop at Ukraine, Austin continued, adding that the US and other countries know this.

"I think it is important to do what's necessary to support Ukraine and Israel and to help them defend their sovereign territory."

Details: Austin stressed that the events in Ukraine and Israel matter not just to Ukraine and Israel, but to the US as well, and affect US national security.

He also stressed that each day of fighting is claiming people’s lives in Ukraine and Israel.

In Ukraine, in particular, Putin is continuing to attack civilians and commit war crimes, Austin said, adding that Ukraine and Israel urgently need resources to continue defending their sovereign territory.

Blinken in turn said that aid for Ukraine and Israel should not be seen as separate, as both wars, in his words, are interconnected.

Putin is trying very hard to take advantage of the Hamas attack on Israel and hopes that it will distract the US from Ukraine and from Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, Blinken said. Putin hopes this will lead to the US withdrawing its resources and ending its support for Ukraine.

Blinken added that Putin has allied himself with the groups that are trying to sow chaos in Israel, adding that he believes that these things are connected, and that is one of the reasons why the request for aid for Ukraine and Israel is joint.

Austin and Blinken both noted that financial assistance for Ukraine is an investment in the US defence industry and helps the US replenish and upgrade its own defence stockpile.

Background: 

• Republicans in the US House of Representatives presented a separate bill on support for Israel, despite President Joe Biden's request for US$106 billion, combining aid to Israel and Ukraine.
• Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, said the bills on aid to Israel and Ukraine will be submitted for consideration separately, noting that the aid provided to Ukraine should be considered with more scrutiny.

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