James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, made a holiday plea for more aid to Ukraine, saying he was worried and calling the country’s cause just.
“It’s a very dangerous situation and here, the real action is actually not in Kyiv. The real action is in Washington,” Stavridis said on radio show “Cats Roundtable,” hosted by John Catsimatidis, Sunday. “We’ve got to provide the military support to Ukraine. Their cause is just.”
Stavridis continued, saying half of the Russian army has been destroyed, without any U.S. soldiers being killed “or even placed at risk,” and the country has done so with “the equivalent of 5 percent” of the annual U.S. defense budget.
“We can afford to do this, and we should. So I’m worried about the war in Ukraine only if the U.S. and our European allies fail to live up to the commitment we’ve made to support Ukraine,” he said.
Congress is not likely to reconvene before the new year, sending talks about an aid package for Ukraine into 2024.
Ukrainians are bracing for a tough winter, as military operations slow down, troops are forced to preserve ammunition and Russia’s attacks continue to hit energy infrastructure, The Hill previously reported.
Several Ukrainian officials have pleaded for aid and stressed that they will not be able to defend themselves soon.
President Biden asked for $61 billion to send to Ukraine, but the money is being held up, as Republican lawmakers say they won’t pass a package without more attention going to the county’s southern border first.
The White House warned that it will run out of money to send to Ukraine on Dec. 30, but it is not likely that members will return from their holiday breaks before then.