White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby warned that American troops may be killed without U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
As the second anniversary of Russia launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches this month, U.S. support for additional Ukrainian aid is dwindling among Republicans in Congress.
Kirby not only reiterated the Joe Biden administration’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but also urged viewers to understand America’s need to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Appearing on CNN This Morning on Wednesday, Kirby said to host Phil Mattingly, “The president is 100 percent committed to our NATO commitments and to security on the European continent. As you heard him say, again, yesterday we’ll defend every inch of NATO territory if it comes to that.
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“And anybody that thinks that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s not serious about those threats need to look a little closer at what he’s been saying…he absolutely bristles at NATO on his border, he absolutely bristles at the idea that NATO could be stronger and more relevant, which it is right now. And he has threatened some of our NATO allies.
“So, we got to take this seriously because I’ll tell you if you think it costs a lot right now to support Ukraine, think about the cost to American blood and treasure if, in fact, he goes after our NATO ally and then you got American troops on the ground involved in combat.”
The National Security Council told Newsweek via email on Wednesday when reached for comment, “I think Kirby’s comments speak for themselves as we are treaty-bound to defend our NATO Allies if they were to be attacked.”
As a member of NATO, the U.S. would be required to get directly involved with Russia, if Putin decides to go after a member state of the military alliance. Additionally, Ukraine’s potential victory against Russia is heavily reliant on U.S. military aid.
The Senate passed a $95.34 billion foreign aid package on Tuesday, which includes $61 billion for Ukraine in its war with Russia, $14 billion for Israel as it fights Hamas in Gaza, and $4.83 billion to help America’s allies in the Indo-Pacific region. The package will also give $9.15 billion in humanitarian aid to conflict zones like Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine.
The vote was 70 to 29 with 22 Republicans voting for the additional funding. Despite the support of the bill in the Senate, Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, signaled that the aid package won’t even make it onto the House floor.
“[In] the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,” Johnson said in a statement Monday night. “America deserves better than the Senate’s status quo.”
The Senate initially tried to advance a foreign aid package that included $20 billion for border security and enacted immigration reform, but it failed in a 50 to 49 vote after Johnson said the deal would be “dead on arrival” in the House.
Biden urged Johnson during a White House speech on Tuesday to take up the foreign aid package after the Senate passed the bill as he said “there’s no question” it would pass if there was a House vote.
“I call on the speaker to let the full House speak its mind and not allow a minority of the most extreme voices in the House to block this bill even from being voted on,” the president said.
“This bipartisan bill sends a clear message to Ukrainians and to our partners and to our allies around the world — America can be trusted, America can be relied upon and America stands up for freedom,” Biden continued. “We stand strong for our allies, we never bow down to anyone, and certainly not to Vladimir Putin.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.