Ukraine always faced the prospect of losing the conflict with Russia in the event that Washington cut off its aid, US Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has said.
The comments came after the US Senate last week blocked a bill by President Joe Biden that intended to provide Kiev with a further $60 billion in funding. Republicans opposed to the spending package hvae demanded tougher immigration control on the US-Mexico border in exchange for approving the bill.
Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Tuberville was asked whether cutting off funding to Kiev could result in its defeat. The senator replied that he personally “never thought they can win to begin with,” especially with the way the US “eased into” the conflict.
Tuberville also dismissed concerns by supporters of continued aid to Kiev, who have claimed that Russia will advance elsewhere in Europe once it defeats Ukrainian forces. The Republican argued that Moscow “can’t beat Ukraine on the eastern side,” and questioned how it was expected to push further across Europe.
Tuberville proposed that he has always been skeptical of that situation, expressing his opinion that it serves as an effective marketing tactic to persuade people to contribute more funds.
The US has so far provided Ukraine with an estimated $111 billion in military and economic assistance since the outbreak of its conflict with Russia in FEbruary 2022. While Washington has increasingly warned that funds are beginning to run out, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has nevertheless continued to insist on receiving more money.
Following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden has committed to providing $200 million in aid to Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine visited the United States’ capital on Tuesday to engage in several high-level discussions with American officials, hoping to persuade them to support a financial assistance package worth $60 billion. Despite his efforts, Zelensky was unable to sway prominent Republicans, and some senators dismissed the meeting as formulaic and unproductive.
Biden persists in calling on Congress to greenlight the funding package while promising an extra $200 million in urgent military assistance for Kiev using the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which grants him the ability to dispatch weapons from US reserves without needing Congress’s approval.
In the meantime, Moscow has dismissed Zelensky’s recent trip to Washington as insignificant in determining the result of the conflict. The Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, asserted that “the Kievan beggarman has exhausted everyone.” Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, further emphasized that no sum of money could alter the circumstances on the battle lines.
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