NATO Pledges Open-Ended Military Support For Ukraine Ahead Of US Senate $40BN Aid Vote

Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

At the start of this week NATO pledged open-ended military support for Ukraine as member states continue to say they are prepared to back Kyiv in its war against Russia for the long term.

At a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the alliance would give Ukraine military assistance “for as long as Ukraine needs this support for the self-defense of its country.”

While there have been reports of Ukrainian counterattacks, Russia has been making significant territorial gains in the east, but NATO leaders still insist Ukraine can win. “Ukraine can win this war. Ukrainians are bravely defending their homeland,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Leading the Western charge to arm Ukraine is the US, which is working on an almost $40 billion aid package for Ukraine that includes about $24 billion in military assistance. The package passed through the House but was blocked in the Senate by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), although a vote could be held as soon as Wednesday.

Biden initially asked Congress for $33 billion, but congressional Democrats increased the already massive number. When asking Congress for the new aid package that is intended to last through the 2022 fiscal year, Biden said it “begins the transition to longer-term security assistance.”

Biden administration officials have made clear that the US policy in Ukraine is not only to help Kyiv fight but also to hurt Moscow. At the end of April, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said one of the US goals in Ukraine is to see a “weakened” Russia.

This is why you have to assume that pretty much everything coming out of “Western” media about the tactical progression of the war is a distortion. They’re operating within an impenetrable superstructure of ideology that prevents the NYT from labeling this a “surrender” https://t.co/VOfsAq4TbB

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) May 17, 2022

Austin said last month from Poland, after entering Ukraine to meet with Zelensky that, “We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.” He described that this also means Moscow should “not have the capability to very quickly reproduce” the forces and equipment lost in Ukraine.