Biden Administration Must Act Swiftly on Emergency Aid for Ukraine
‘Now that Congress is providing more funding, the Biden Administration must move more swiftly to deliver it to Ukrainian forces on the front lines. Now is not the time for hesitating, hand-wringing, or self-deterring from the Administration.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Ukraine:
“When the Senate votes today to fund the government, we’ll also approve further emergency aid for Ukraine.
“The Ukrainians have made remarkable progress in pushing back Russia’s unhinged aggression. But the fight is far from over. They need more of the cutting-edge weapons that are helping them turn the tide.
“Assisting Ukraine is not some feel-good symbolic gesture. It is literally an investment in our own national security and that of our allies.
“Blunting Putin’s offensive in Ukraine will diminish his capacity to threaten other targets throughout the free world. And it will help deter other authoritarian regimes like China.
“Nobody is saying America should stand alone. Some of our European allies, especially on NATO’s Eastern Flank, have been incredibly generous, digging deep into their inventories and welcoming hundreds of thousands of refugees. But others can and must do more.
“The Senate’s consistent support for Ukraine at reasonable levels plays a critical part in nudging our allies to step up.
“Ukraine needs more tanks, fighting vehicles, longer-range rockets, artillery, and air defense systems. More HIMARS, more drones, and preparatory training in western fighter aircraft.
“And they need these things as soon as possible.
“Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced another tranche of assistance. But the HIMARS rocket systems included in that announcement won’t arrive in Ukraine for years.
“If the Administration cannot move faster, it will be an indictment of their persistent unwillingness to invest in our own military stockpiles and our defense industrial base.
“Now that Congress is providing more funding, the Biden Administration must move more swiftly to deliver it to Ukrainian forces on the front lines.
“Now is not the time for hesitating, hand-wringing, or self-deterring from the Administration.
“It is not true strength and resolve that provoke the bully. It is delay and weakness.”
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