Congress must send aid to Ukraine now

after parliament chose not to pass Last month, while members were enjoying a vacation after a new aid bill for Ukraine was introduced, Russia launched The worst missile attack on Ukraine. Apartments, residential areas, and other non-military targets were attacked.dozens of people I was injuredand several civilians were killed.

A quarter of Ukraine's population remains as Russian invasion marks second anniversary kicked out. Russia's brutal war killed thousands and several cities, villages, and towns destroyed.Meanwhile, Russia has nearly 400,000 people. casualties.Russians lost tens of billions of dollars military hardwareAnd the Russian economy Made a contract An estimated 3% increase.

Despite the devastation, Russia continues to wage war with no clear end in sight. The Russian Federation shows no signs of ending the war. Instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin Decided to continue the invasion.in him Press conference on December 14th, said the Russian leader will not stop. President Putin has said he will not rest until Ukraine is finished. demilitarizedand he I was demanded to To prevent Ukraine from joining Western organizations. Russia will also try to step up its disinformation campaign in the hope that the international community will tire of war.

Some of the key points of Russian propaganda have already penetrated mainstream Western media. For example, critics of aid to Ukraine argue that: can't win the war. They will not send aid to the Ukrainians. too high.Others, Ukrainians Mismanagement of funds. Considering these reasons, these critics believe that Western countries should stop funding Ukraine.

However, these points are far from the truth.First, since the first Russian invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian military and volunteers recovered More than half of Russia's occupied territory. In 2022, Ukraine will put pressure on the Russian military Overall From north-central Ukraine. The Ukrainians successfully defended their capital, defended key strongholds such as Kharkov in the east and Odesa in the south, and liberated the prominent city of Kherson.And in 2023, the Ukrainian military advanced Across the Dnipro River confused Russian strategy around it Crimea and the Black Sea. Ukraine is currently trying to expand its influence in the Russian-occupied east and south.

Meanwhile, the Russians have experienced massive failures.According to US intelligence agencies evaluationthe Russian military “lost 87 percent of the total number of active ground forces it previously had.” [the start of the war]” Russia too lost “Two-thirds of the tanks before the invasion”, and several naval ships It was destroyed by a country that didn't even have a navy. These results suggest that the war is far from a stalemate. Rather, Ukraine is now winning and Russia is losing.

Critics now argue that the United States is spending too much money in Ukraine and that resources should be allocated elsewhere.Still, US support for Ukraine It was not achieved at the expense of other U.S. programs.. Rather, American aid was predetermined and agreed upon. Member of Parliament Separately. In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Congress approved Aid to Ukraine is $40 billion, but Total defense budget for FY2022 was $715 billion.Then, in 2023, Congress approved The total defense budget for fiscal year 2023 increased to $816.7 billion, compared to $46 billion in aid to Ukraine.

In other words, the funds allocated to Ukraine in fiscal year 2022 accounted for 6% of the total defense budget. And in fiscal year 2023, Ukraine aid accounted for 5.6 percent of the larger defense budget. Ukraine has only a fraction of the US defense budget. It has deteriorated normally Russia had the second strongest military in the world, which made it the second strongest military in Ukraine.

In other words, it is costing the United States an unreasonable amount to defeat one of its greatest enemies without endangering American lives. Meanwhile, as the Washington Post recently reported, defense aid to Ukraine is actually being used to help. Rebuild and replenish Weapons have already been sent to Ukraine and American arms stockpiles. Several U.S. states with manufacturing hubs directly benefit from this aid.

Finally, there is a misconception that aid to Ukraine is being mismanaged.Russian propaganda media spread false information Western military equipment sent to Ukraine was reportedly being sold on the black market. There is absolutely no evidence to support this.

Since the first Russian invasion in February 2022, the Pentagon inspector And several other agencies monitor U.S. aid to Ukraine. Agencies other than the Department of Defense, such as the State Department and the Treasury Department, conducted an independent investigation. They found no evidence of U.S. aid to Ukraine. abuse.American auditor in Ukraine reached the same conclusion.

So far, the Ukrainians have performed well. They have driven the Russians out of north-central Ukraine, forced the Russian fleet to abandon the Black Sea, and are slowly liberating territory in the east and south. The United States is spending a portion of its defense budget to support Ukraine, and support for Ukraine is attracting attention.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this is happening without the loss of a single American life.

Given this situation, Congressional leaders would be wise to double down on their bets for victory and start the new year by passing new legislation to help Ukraine.

Mark Temnicki is Certified freelance journalist Eurasian situation and non-resident At the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. he can be found at x @MTemnycky