The United States government defended this Tuesday the aid sent to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion a year ago, stressing that the best example of its good use is the resistance of the country against the forces of Russia.
“We see no evidence of embezzlement. We believe that the Ukrainians are correctly using what they have been given. Our conclusion is that if any of these systems have been diverted, it has been by Russians who have captured materiel on the battlefield,” Defense Undersecretary Colin Kahl told the House Armed Services committee.
Since the Republicans won the majority in that chamber in January after the mid-term elections in November, they have focused their efforts on holding the government accountable for both the aid sent to Ukraine and the management of the pandemic or the situation on the border with Mexico.
The interrogation this Tuesday, which also summoned the inspector general of the Department of Defense, robert storchand the lieutenant general Douglas Simsis part of that political offensive launched from the opposition.
“It is imperative that the American people understand where our aid is goinghow it is used and what guarantees are there to make sure it does not end up in the wrong hands,” said the Republican legislator. Mike RogersChairman of the Armed Forces Committee.
Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Congress has authorized more than 113,000 million dollars in humanitarian, economic or security aid. About 60% of that figure corresponds to military support.
“If the weapons, equipment and support we have sent them had gone elsewhere, been stolen or misused, they would have been lost long ago. That they have been so successful is the best proof that the systems and the support that we are sending them are being used to the best of their ability.”, stressed Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, a member of the committee.
That support, he stressed, is not equivalent to a blank check, as Washington’s reluctance to send the fighters partly reflects. F16 Requested by kyiv: “Even if we say there is nothing more important, at best we could maybe get them in a year or maybe eight months. It’s not an appropriate use of the resources needed to win.”
The Defense Department inspector general added that his cabinet is already conducting a thorough evaluation of the material sent “From the time it arrives at the port until it is transferred to the stopover points and enters the country.”
But the Republicans go further. With accountability, according to Rogers, the committee’s chair, it’s also about ensuring that management sets strategic goals and implements a policy to achieve them.
“That is where I have serious concerns. From the beginning, the president (Joe Biden) has been overly concerned that giving Ukraine what it needs to win would escalate. This doubt has only lengthened the war and increased the costs in a matter of dollars and lives,” he said.
For Rogers, Biden must be willing to do whatever it takes to end this war, because indecision continues.”just empower” to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and “sends the wrong signal” both to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and to the Chinese Communist Party.
The current situation on the battlefield, as summarized by Lieutenant General Sims, is “quite static”. Both sides have mobilized “large amounts of artillery that have resulted in minimal change.”
But the end of the war will not mean the end of aid: “Ukraine continues to need the support of the United States and our allies and partners and that is going to be the case for a while,” the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy concluded about the need of that country to ensure that it has a strong Army that allows it to defend its territory in the long term.
(With information from EFE)
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Source-www.infobae.com