Blinken Says Ukraine Military Aid Also Creates Growth, Jobs At Home

WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Bernama-dpa) -- In the face of major political resistance to further aid for Ukraine, the US government is now using economic arguments to campaign for further support for Kyiv, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Following a meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron in Washington on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "if you look at the investments that we’ve made in Ukraine’s defence to deal with this aggression, 90 per cent of the security assistance we’ve provided has actually been spent here in the United States with our manufacturers." 

Blinken emphasised that this "produced more American jobs, more growth in our own economy."

This is in addition to the importance of Kyiv's support to global politics and US national security, Blinken addded.

The US is Ukraine's most important military supporter in the defence against the Russian invasion. Since the start of the war in February 2022, the US has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv. However, the release of more aid is being blocked by a domestic political dispute between Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

Many Republicans are expressing doubts about support for Ukraine or refusing it altogether.

A recently passed transition budget once again contains no new funds for Ukraine.

According to US government calculations, the funds previously approved by Congress for Ukraine will be completely used up by the end of the year. With increasing vehemence and sometimes dramatic appeals, Biden and his team have been calling on Congress to act for weeks. 

During his visit, Cameron also made a strong plea for further US aid for Ukraine. He said he did not want to interfere in US domestic policy – he was only putting forward arguments that he considered important "as a friend of America, as a friend of Ukraine."

"In the 1930s we didn’t act fast enough to deal with the evil dictator who was invading European countries and redrawing borders by force," Cameron warned. "And we know how that ended."

-- BERNAMA dpa