Ukraine may lose by end of year if aid not approved, CIA Director tells congressmen

CIA Director William Burns delivered a speech on Capitol Hill on Thursday, 18 April, warning lawmakers that "If you don't approve aid to Ukraine now, Kyiv could lose the war by the end of the year".

Source: Politico

Details: Burns urged lawmakers to pass a supplemental bill that would allocate billions for Ukraine's military efforts. 

However, if this does not pass through Congress, "the picture is a lot more dire".

Quote: "With the boost that would come from military assistance, both practically and psychologically, Ukrainians are entirely capable of holding their own through 2024 and puncturing Putin’s arrogant view that time is on his side.

There is a very real risk that the Ukrainians could lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024, or at least put Putin in a position where he could essentially dictate the terms of a political settlement."

More details: Politico suggested that this is perhaps the most decisive warning about war from a senior US administration official. 

"Supporting Ukraine right now is about more than the war with Russia. It’s also about Xi Jinping in China, his ambitions, and our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific. This is really a question of whether or not our adversaries understand our reliability and determination and whether our allies and partners understand that as well", Burns added.

Background: 

• The bill on supplemental funding for Ukraine, prepared by Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, proposes allocating US$61 billion and supplying Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles as soon as possible. The final vote on the bill should take place on Saturday evening, 20 April.
• US President Joe Biden has expressed his readiness to sign bills on supplemental funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan if approved by Congress.

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