US Army says it will RUN OUT of money to protect Europe and Africa by May if Ukraine aid isn’t approved: Congress facing growing pressure to send more money to keep basic operations going

The U.S. military is currently diverting money intended for operations in Europe and Africa to help Ukraine, and could soon run out of funds for its operations in those parts of the world if Congress does not act quickly.

The US is currently transferring hundreds of millions of dollars to support Ukraine amid a congressional standoff.

Since the start of this budget year, October 2023, the military has spent more than $430 million on Ukraine-related operations, including training Ukrainian troops, transporting weapons and deploying U.S. troops to Europe.

The Army’s Europe and Africa Command has about $3 billion left to cover operating costs, which are expected to reach $5 billion by 2024, a senior Army official said. told CNN – and the money could run out by May.

A Ukrainian soldier from the ‘Tsunami’ regiment fires artillery towards Bakhmut as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on February 19, 2024

“If we don’t get a base budget, if we don’t get Ukraine additional (financing package), if the government closes down, if we don’t get anything else and nothing changes from today… we will run out of (operations and maintenance). ) funding in May,” the official told the publication.

For months, lawmakers have sought a way to pass an additional financing package to get money to Ukraine, but willingness to fund the war against Russia has waned on Capitol Hill.

The military will soon have to arbitrate over funding, with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth telling CNN that she expects they will have to “rob Peter to pay Paul.”

“Every extra dollar I have, it’s very important what I put that dollar into. And I’m constantly in doubt: should we put it in the barracks? Do I put it down to recruitment incentives? Do I put it on exercises? Do I put it on modernization? I don’t have any extra money to donate any of that,” Wormuth, the agency’s civilian leader in charge of the budget, told CNN.

“This was money that we expected would obviously be replenished by the additional money,” she added, reiterating the need for congressional action.

“We would cease to exist” if the resources were not allocated elsewhere within the military’s budget, one official said.

While U.S. funding for Ukraine dries up, training for Ukrainian troops continues because it is considered mission critical by the president. The US is currently training about 1,500 Ukrainian troops in Germany and training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 fighter jets at Morris Air National Guard Base in Arizona.

Last week, the Senate approved a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and $4.83 billion for partners in the Indo-Pacific.

It would also provide $9.15 billion in humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine and other conflict zones around the world.

U.S. Army soldiers in Poland on Feb. 21, deployed as part of a rotation of forces to Poland to support multinational training and operations and deter adversaries in the European theater

But House Speaker Mike Johnson has declared that the package was dead on arrival in the House, without any border security provisions.

The issue has intensified in recent days after one of President Vladimir Putin’s top critics, Alexei Navalny, died in a Russian prison.

Former President Donald Trump sparked outrage and concern among U.S. allies last week by suggesting he would be unwilling to defend NATO members who failed to meet their spending commitments. He even suggested he would encourage attacks on them.

Biden on Monday attacked Republicans in the House of Representatives, who remain staunchly opposed to aid.

“The way they’re running away from the threat of Russia, the way they’re running away from NATO. The way they walk away from meeting our obligations. It’s just shocking.’

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Republicans broadly argue that the war in Ukraine is unwinnable and that there is no off-ramp in sight.

Ahead of the Senate vote last week, Republican Senator Ron Johnson described Putin as “evil” before concluding: “Vladimir Putin will not lose this war.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to ask for more help.

His forces were forced to withdraw from the captured city of Avdiivka, a strategic hub in the east of the country.

The White House said this was due to a lack of ammunition, which it blamed on Congress’ logjam.

“This morning, the Ukrainian military was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration their ammunition due to dwindling supplies due to Congressional inaction, resulting in Russia’s first notable gain in months,” it said after Biden Volodomyr Zelensky had called.