The White House has sent a letter to the leaders of the US Congress urging them to approve funding for Ukraine as soon as possible, as funds for military aid are almost run out. The letter was sent by Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, The Hill reports.
In an appeal to party leaders in the House and Senate, Young warned that failure to act on funding by the end of the year threatens to "bring Ukraine to its knees on the battlefield."
"I want to be clear: without congressional action by the end of the year, we will run out of resources to purchase more weapons and equipment for Ukraine, as well as to provide equipment from U.S. military stockpiles. There is no magic funding source that can meet these needs. We are out of money - and almost out of time," Young wrote.
Money is needed both to supply weapons and to support the economy.
"If Ukraine's economy collapses, they won't be able to continue the fight, period. Putin understands this well, which is why Russia has made the destruction of Ukraine's economy a central element of its strategy - as you can see in its attacks on Ukraine's grain exports and energy infrastructure," Young wrote.
Identical letters were sent to Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Young said that the government has already spent approximately $111 billion previously allocated to help Ukraine.
The Pentagon has used 97% of the $62.3 billion it received as of mid-November. And the State Department has used all of the $4.7 billion in military aid it received, including funds for humanitarian aid, as well as economic and civilian security assistance.