National Security Adviser Blames Congress for Putin’s ‘First Notable Battlefield Victory in a Year’
Lawmakers stalling US assistance to Ukraine
Russian leader Vladimir Putin scored his “his first notable battlefield victory in a year,” in Ukraine.
And inaction by the US Congress is to blame.
That’s according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who briefed reporters Tuesday.
US lawmakers have stalled out additional aid to Ukraine, the invasion of which at Putin’s hands is entering its third year.
Although President Biden pulled together NATO and other nations to support Ukraine’s fight, additional military and other assistance is now at-risk due to infighting among Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Sullivan’s briefing with reporters is part of a strategy by the Biden administration to pressure Republicans to approve further US support to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the effects of US inaction now demonstrably can be seen in Ukraine, Sullivan said.
“This week, unfortunately, the House is on recess, having left town without taking action on this critical piece of legislation, which overwhelmingly passed the Senate last week with strong bipartisan support from senators of both parties,” he said. “Over the weekend, as you all have seen, Ukrainian troops were forced to withdraw from Avdiivka, a town in eastern Ukraine where they’d been battling Russia for many months, handing Putin his first notable battlefield victory in a year.
“This happened in large part because Ukraine is running out of weapons due to congressional inaction. And Ukrainian troops didn’t have the supplies and ammunition they needed to stop the Russian advance,” Sullivan added.
He also pointed to the recent death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny inside a Russian Arctic prison camp, after years of publicly criticism of Putin.
“These two events are a reminder of just how high the stakes are and why we need Congress to stand up to Putin and take urgent action on this national security supplemental bill,” Sullivan added.
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