President Biden on Wednesday urged Congress to approve tens of billions more in assistance for Ukraine, warning that the two-year conflict could spiral into a war between NATO and Russia.
Mr. Biden has asked Congress for $106 billion for national security needs, including aiding Ukraine and Israel, which are mired in wars. Republicans on Capitol Hill are weary of all the billions the U.S. has sent overseas and demand substantial changes to U.S. border policy as a condition of voting for the measure.
Congress was expected to vote on the bill Wednesday.
The U.S. has already sent $111 billion to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
Mr. Biden echoed earlier warnings issued by his administration that if the measure isn’t approved, Russian President Vladimir Putin will prevail in Ukraine, putting all of Europe at risk.
“History is going to judge harshly those who turned their back on freedom’s cause,” Mr. Biden said in remarks from the White House. “We can’t let Putin win.”
The president cautioned that Mr. Putin won’t stop at Russia and will likely expand his military aggression against a NATO ally. Under the NATO pact, if one nation is attacked, all members of the military alliance, including the U.S., must respond in its defense.
That would put Russia and the U.S. in direct conflict in Europe, Mr. Biden warned.
“We defend every inch of NATO territory, and we’ll have something that we don’t have today: American troops fighting Russian troops,” he said.
Mr. Biden acknowledged that the U.S. southern border system is “broken” but said he has offered proposals that would enhance border security, only to be rebuffed by Republicans on Capitol Hill.
“Now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process,” Mr. Biden said of Republicans’ demand for border policy changes.
The president’s remarks came hours after he met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, which include Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Those nations have been staunchly pro-Ukraine as it seeks to fend off Russian invaders.
Congress remains deadlocked on legislation that would provide nearly $61.4 billion in funding for the war-torn nation.
Also on Wednesday, Mr. Biden approved $175 million in additional military aid for Ukraine.
The latest weapons package system Mr. Biden announced Wednesday will include guided missiles for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, Mr. Biden said in remarks from the White House.
“We fully expect the Russians to go after the energy infrastructure, so this air defense capability is meant to help them defend against those attacks,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “Without additional funding, these weapons will be among the last that we’ll be able to send.”
The aid package would come through presidential drawdown authority, letting him pull weapons from U.S. stockpiles and send them to other nations at war. State Department officials said it was one of the last security assistance packages the U.S. could provide to Ukraine because it comes under previously directed drawdowns.
“Helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression and secure its future advances our national security interests and contributes to global stability around the world, and we need Congress to act immediately,” the State Department said in announcing the package.
The White House has repeatedly cautioned that the U.S. is running out of time and money to help Ukraine thwart Mr. Putin’s army.
By mid-November, the Defense Department had used 97% of the $62.3 billion in supplemental funding it received, and the State Department had used all of the $4.7 billion in military assistance funding it was allocated, the White House said.
“There should be a genuine concern about what happens if you just let Putin go, if you just let him have Ukraine,” Mr. Kirby said. “He hasn’t given up his strategic goal of subjugating the entire country, he doesn’t believe it should exist as a sovereign state.”
— Tom Howell Jr. contributed to this report.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.