EU and NATO welcome US aid package for Ukraine – DW – 04/21/2024

The leaders of the key institutions of the European Union (EU) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg celebrated last night that the United States House of Representatives has approved a new aid package for Ukraine. Stoltenberg assured that this “will contribute to making us all safer in both Europe and North America.”

In recent months, European Union and NATO leaders have been urging the United States to end this aid as soon as possible, just at a time when the Ukrainian military is finding itself vulnerable to a Russian invasion due to a shortage of weapons and ammunition. Struggling to save.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Ukraine “deserves all possible support against Russia” and, after the positive vote of the House of Representatives, urged the US Senate to approve this package “as quickly as possible”. Did. Because “lives are at stake.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself had earlier said that whether Kiev’s forces would be able to maintain their positions or be forced to gradually retreat would depend on this US aid package.

The package was stuck for months

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed that the approval of this aid package “sends a clear message to the Kremlin”, which is that “those who believe in freedom and the Charter of the United Nations continue to support Ukraine.” Will keep and its city”.

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said that, with the package approved by the US House of Representatives this Saturday, Ukraine “will receive the necessary transatlantic support to confront Russian aggression.”

This US aid package to Ukraine has been stalled for months in the House of Representatives due to obstruction by a group of Republican congressmen who oppose continued funding to Kiev.

Finally, the lower house this Saturday gave the green light to the bill, which includes $95 billion (about 89 billion euros) in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Now, the bill must be ratified by the Senate, where the Democratic Party has a slim majority.

IES(EFE,AP)