The top U.S. general in Europe told lawmakers that Ukraine’s military will soon be unable to match Russia’s manpower and missiles if U.S. lawmakers don’t approve additional security aid to Ukraine, a sign of concern from more than two countries. Part of a stern warning. years of conflict.
U.S. military officials have repeatedly warned in recent weeks that Russian forces have been able to make incremental gains in Ukraine and that without new U.S. support, Ukrainian forces will eventually falter.
Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, the commander of U.S. European Command described battlefield conditions in stark terms.
“If we do not continue to support Ukraine, Ukraine will run out of artillery shells and anti-aircraft interceptors in a fairly short period of time,” General Christopher Cavalli said, explaining that Kiev relies on the United States for these critical munitions.
“I can’t predict the future, but I can do simple math,” he said. “Based on my 37 years of experience in the U.S. military, if one side can shoot but the other side can’t fire back, the side that can’t fight back loses.”
Cavalli also said that the failure of U.S. lawmakers to approve a $60 billion supplementary security plan has given Russia a huge advantage.
“them [Ukraine] Now, Russia is down 5-1,” he told lawmakers. “In a few weeks, that will immediately go up to 10-1.”
“We’re not talking about months. We’re not talking about assumptions,” Cavalli said.
Multiple U.S. officials have warned that Ukraine’s military is being forced to ration artillery and air defense capabilities as Kyiv waits for U.S. lawmakers to approve additional aid.
“We are already seeing the impact of the failure to pass the supplemental agreement,” Assistant Defense Secretary Celeste Wallander told the panel, testifying alongside U.S. European Command’s Cavalli.
“We don’t need to imagine,” she said, blaming a lack of U.S. artillery for “the success of the Russian attack.”
The supplemental defense package passed the U.S. Senate back in February, but House leadership has so far refused to bring the bill to a vote.
At a news conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said lawmakers were continuing to “actively discuss our options moving forward.”
“This is a very complicated thing happening at a very complicated time. The clock is ticking and everyone here is feeling the urgency of this,” Johnson said. “But what we need is consensus and that’s what we’re working towards.”
However, House Democrats expressed frustration with Johnson’s refusal to hold a vote.
“The House has waited months to approve a security plan to help protect Ukraine,” said Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. “A few weeks ago, we arrived too late. Now, our ability to deter Russia is coming at a huge cost every day.”
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, another Democrat on the committee, rebuked Johnson, saying he needed to hold the vote despite opposition from a handful of House Republicans.
“We really need to get across the finish line,” she said. “I accept he’s at risk of losing his job because of this choice, but that’s leadership – that’s a big boy in his pants, making tough choices.”
However, some Republicans criticized Democratic lawmakers for their misguided priorities.
“Hundreds of thousands of Americans are dying from fentanyl overdoses, children and human trafficking, not to mention more than 178 countries crossing our borders,” said Republican Rep. Cory Mills.
“But, oh wait, that’s not the priority. Let’s protect Ukraine’s borders,” he said.
VOA’s Katherine Gibson contributed to this report.
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