Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday he’s “optimistic” Congress will take action on the pending supplemental with further aid for Ukraine, while adding that Kyiv’s “survival is in danger” in its fight against Russia’s ongoing invasion.
“I am optimistic that we will see some action [on the supplemental] moving forward. But, again, this is a thing that you can’t absolutely predict and we’ll continue to work closely with Congress and our international partners to ensure that Ukraine receives the support it needs,” Austin said during a briefing following the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Since the supplemental bill stalled, however, Congress provided DOE with billions for the uranium initiative in a fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill signed March 9.
Following the UDCG meeting, which once again brought together senior defense officials from around 50 countries to discuss security assistance efforts, Austin lauded international partners’ “unity and resolve” in continuing to support Ukraine while urging passage of the supplemental.
“Today, Ukraine’s survival is in danger and America’s security is at risk. And [Ukraine] doesn’t have a day to waste and we don’t have a day to spare either. So I leave here today fully determined to keep U.S. security assistance and ammunition flowing, and that’s a matter of survival and sovereignty for Ukraine and it’s a matter of honor and security for America,” Austin said. “Of course, they need munitions. They need support in order to continue to be able to do that. And, of course, that’s where the supplemental comes in. And we certainly would hope that we would see the supplemental get passed soon.”
The Senate in February passed its $95.3 billion supplemental bill, which includes $60 billion to continue supporting Ukraine, while Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has yet to bring the bill up for consideration on the House floor.
