By Tara Copp | Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The top general of U.S. forces in Europe told Congress Wednesday that Ukraine will be outnumbered by Russia 10 to one within weeks if Congress does not find a way to approve the upcoming shipment of ammunition and weapons to kyiv.
The testimony from Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command, and Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, comes as Congress enters pivotal weeks to vote in favor of aid to Ukraine, but there is no guarantee that financing will be improved in 2017. time.
Ukraine has been rationing its ammunition as Congress delayed passage of its $60 billion supplemental bill.
“They are now dominated by the Russians five to one. Thus, the Russians fire five times more artillery shells at the Ukrainians than the latter are capable of responding. It will immediately go to 10 to one in a few weeks,” Cavoli said. “We are not talking about months. We are not speaking hypothetically.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to find a way forward for the bill that would fund new rounds of munitions production at U.S. companies to allow the Pentagon to then send more munitions into Ukraine. Johnson is trying to bring it to a vote in the House, but he faces concerns from members who cite domestic needs, including border security.
The speaker also faces a threat to his leadership role from his far-right flank, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has called for his ouster over the issue.
As the political fighting on Capitol Hill continues, the dire battlefield situation in Ukraine worsens.
Cavoli told lawmakers that in this conflict, the U.S. flow of 155mm artillery shells was a lifeline. “The biggest killer on the battlefield is artillery. In most conflicts, but certainly in this one. And if Ukraine were to run out, it would run out because we stopped supplying it – because we supply the lion’s share,” Cavoli said.
Russian missile production has ramped up and can launch large-scale attacks every few days. If Ukraine’s air defense stockpiles run out, “these attacks would absolutely cripple Ukraine’s economy, civil society, and military if left undefended without U.S. provision of interceptors.” “said Cavoli.
“Their ability to defend the terrain they currently occupy and their airspace would quickly fade, would quickly disappear without the supplement,” Cavoli said.
U.S. military leaders issued similar warnings to the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee later in the day, saying the lack of additional funds was a critical problem for both Ukraine and for the US Army.
“He who can’t fight back loses, and at this point Ukraine is really starting to get anxious about being able to fight back. So I am very concerned,” said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. “We saw Ukraine losing territory a few months ago. And I think there is a real danger… that the Russians could make a breakthrough somewhere down the line. »
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George added that funding is needed to help send Ukraine long-range weapons and air defense systems so it can defend its infrastructure critics and his troops on the front lines.
At the same time, Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George said that unless Congress approves the supplement soon, the Army won’t have enough money to repatriate troops currently serving in Europe, nor funding to train units in the United States
“We don’t have the transportation to redeploy them,” Wormuth said, referring to Army units deployed across Europe. “We don’t have the transportation to send units to backfill them.”
She and George said they also need money to continue sending units to national training centers. To avoid outright cancellation of training rotations, Wormuth said they could try to reduce participation or reduce their size.
“But those are the kinds of tough choices we’re looking at.” If we don’t see the supplements coming,” she said.
If kyiv falls, it could imperil Ukraine’s Baltic neighbors, NATO members, and potentially draw U.S. troops into a protracted European war.
At a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Johnson said: “House members continue to actively discuss our options on the path forward. »
“It’s a very complicated question at a very complicated time. Time is of the essence and everyone here feels the urgency of it, but what is necessary is for you to come to a consensus on this, and that is what we are working on,” Johnson said.
Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin called for a vote.
“President Johnson has a choice to make. I accept that it is a complicated choice. I accept that he risks losing his job because of this choice,” Slotkin said.
AP writer Sagar Meghani contributed from Washington, D.C.
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