John Kirby, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, emphasized the pressing nature of the situation, highlighting that Ukrainian forces are rapidly depleting their ammunition reserves.
Kirby stated that discussions are underway between representatives of President Joe Biden's administration and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, to expedite the consideration of funding requests for aid to Ukraine. Time is of the essence, Kirby stressed, as Ukrainian forces in Donbas are reportedly retreating to secondary and tertiary defense lines amid continued Russian advances.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Kirby reassured that providing military aid to Ukraine does not pose a threat to US national security interests.
Regarding the introduction of foreign troops into Ukraine, Kirby stated that the US does not oppose proposals from its partners to deploy their military forces to support Ukraine. He clarified that the US will not object to the decisions of other countries to send troops to Ukraine, emphasizing that this is the sovereign decision of each state.
When asked about potential requests from the Biden administration for other countries to refrain from deploying troops to Ukraine, Kirby responded negatively, stating that he cannot be responsible for the decisions of other sovereign nations. However, he reiterated President Biden's stance that there will be no deployment of American troops on Ukrainian territory. (ILKHA)