US has used up 96% of funds approved by Congress for Ukraine aid – White House

John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the White House National Security Council, has said the United States has used up almost all of the funds approved by Congress to help Ukraine.

Source: Kirby said this at a briefing on Wednesday, 8 November, reports European Pravda with reference to Voice of America

Quote: "Of the total funds that have been provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the war, which is an excess of US$60 billion – and that’s not just security assistance; that’s economic, financial and humanitarian assistance – we’ve gone through about 96% of what’s left," he said. 

The White House spokesman said that the United States has used more than 90% of security assistance funding for Ukraine.

"The Defense Department is down to about US$1.1 billion of replenishment money left as we head into the winter time. So, as I’ve said before, the runway is getting shorter, and that’s why we need that supplemental request approved [in Congress - ed.]," Kirby added. 

The official stressed that the United States should continue to provide security assistance to Ukraine so that Ukrainian forces can make the most of the time they have left before the weather worsens, which will complicate the advance.

Background: US President Joe Biden is trying to convince the US Congress to support assistance to both Ukraine and Israel and to approve a new aid package of US$106 billion, including more than US$61 billion in funding for assistance to Ukraine.

But Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the US House of Representatives, is insisting that Congress consider assistance packages for Ukraine and Israel separately, and that the "Ukrainian" package should be considered together with funding for US-Mexico border security.

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