The United States is out of money for Ukraine, unable to send the ammunition and missiles that the government in Kyiv needs to fend off Russia's invasion.
With the aid caught up in domestic politics, the Biden administration on Tuesday came empty-handed for the first time as host of the monthly meeting of about 50 nations that coordinate support for Ukraine. The group was established by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in April 2022.
While waiting for Congress to approve more money for Ukraine's fight, Washington will look to allies to keep bridging the gap.
"I urge this group to dig deep to provide Ukraine with more lifesaving ground-based air defense systems and interceptors," Austin said in opening remarks broadcast from his home, where he is recuperating after prostate cancer surgery.
The opening statement by video was the first public appearance from Austin, 70, who appeared slightly gaunt. He was hospitalized for two weeks after complications from the surgery.
After the meeting, Celeste Wallander, assistant defense secretary for international affairs, told reporters that Ukraine's ministry of defence is getting reports from its front lines that "units are not do not have the stocks and the stores of ammunition that they require."
Wallander added, "That is one of the reasons we have been focusing on the need to answer Congress' questions, so that they are able to move forward on a decision to pass" legislation with the aid.
While Ukraine waits to see what Congress will do, European allies are moving ahead with new measures to support Ukraine.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced a $$1.2 billion joint contract to buy more than 222,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition. The rounds are some of the most heavily used munitions in the war, and the contract will be used to backfill allies that have pushed their own reserves to Kyiv.
While the conflict between Israel and Hamas has dominated headlines since October, Russia's onslaught against Ukraine has continued.
Russia on Tuesday launched a barrage of more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles into Ukraine's two biggest cities, damaging apartment buildings and killing at least five people. The assault came a day after Moscow shunned any deal backed by Kyiv and its Western allies to end the almost two-year war.
Ukraine's air defences were able to intercept at least 21 of the missiles. But the attacks injured at least 20 people in four districts of Kyiv, the capital.
The Pentagon announced its last security assistance for Ukraine on Dec. 27, a $250 million package that included 155 mm rounds, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and other high-demand items drawn from existing U.S. stockpiles.
The U.S. has not been able to provide additional munitions since then because the money for replenishing those stockpiles has run out and Congress has yet to approve more funds.
More than $110 billion in aid for both Ukraine and Israel is stalled over disagreements between Congress and the White House over other policy priorities, including additional security for the U.S.-Mexico border.
Senators are trying for a bipartisan deal that would include nearly $61 billion in aid for Ukraine and make changes in border policy. But Republicans are renewing a push to scale back the amount of assistance for Ukraine, targeting money that would go to Ukraine's civil sector and arguing that European nations could step in to fund those needs.
"Personally speaking, I'd like to see portions pared down," Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Republican senator, told reporters Tuesday. "I think the number is really high and there are a lot of things funded in there."
But even if a deal can be reached in the Senate, the package faces even more opposition in the House, where many Republicans have voted repeatedly against the Ukrainian war effort.
The U.S. has provided Ukraine more than $44.2 billion in security assistance since Russia invaded in February 2022. About $23.6 billion of that was pulled from existing military stockpiles and almost $19 billion was sent in the form of longer-term military contracts, for items that will take months to procure. So even though funds have run out, some previously purchased weapons will continue to flow in. An additional $1.7 billion has been provided by the U.S. State Department in the form of foreign military financing.
The U.S. and approximately 30 international partners are also continuing to train Ukrainian forces, and to date have trained a total of 118,000 Ukrainians at locations around the world, said Col. Marty O'Donnell, spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
The United States has trained approximately 18,000 of those fighters, including approximately 16,300 soldiers in Germany. About 1,500 additional fighters are currently going through training.
---
Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
Lynx Air announced Thursday that it has filed for creditor protection from the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. The airline said in a release that it will cease operations at midnight, Monday, Feb. 26, with flights continuing until then.
A spacecraft built and flown by Texas-based company Intuitive Machines landed near the moon's south pole on Thursday, the first U.S. touchdown on the lunar surface in more than half a century and the first ever achieved by the private sector.
A Waterloo couple is grateful to be back home after they say they were detained for several hours at a Punta Cana airport, accused of carrying drugs.
A photo of federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay eating lobster in Malaysia during an official trip has some people seeing red.
Ten delays, one cancellation, and about 27 hours later, Air Canada travellers trying to jet out of Fort Lauderdale finally made what one of them is calling a 'hellish journey' back to Toronto.
A set of smart vending machines at the University of Waterloo is expected to be removed from campus after students raised privacy concerns about their software.
The judge overseeing the US$355 million civil fraud case has denied Donald Trump’s request to delay the judgment for a month.
Premier David Eby has been clear that speculators are in his crosshairs, and with the 2024 budget his government has announced details of a new 'BC Home Flipping Tax.'
Research has shown that sex trafficking is rampant. For Canadians reading this story this means that within one kilometre from where you’re presently located, a young person is being lured into sex trafficking.
A Waterloo couple is grateful to be back home after they say they were detained for several hours at a Punta Cana airport, accused of carrying drugs.
Premier David Eby has been clear that speculators are in his crosshairs, and with the 2024 budget his government has announced details of a new 'BC Home Flipping Tax.'
The worker killed when a crane's load came crashing down at the massive Oakridge Park development project in South Vancouver this week was a mother of two, sources tell CTV News.
Ten delays, one cancellation, and about 27 hours later, Air Canada travellers trying to jet out of Fort Lauderdale finally made what one of them is calling a 'hellish journey' back to Toronto.
Westlock residents are voting Thursday on a bylaw that would prohibit rainbow crosswalks, a common symbol of support for the LGBTQ2S+ community, and restrict the town to flying only government flags.
There were haunting scenes in Port Coquitlam Wednesday evening, as family and friends of women victimized by serial killer Robert Pickton held a vigil in their memory, at the site of the former pig farm.
The judge overseeing the US$355 million civil fraud case has denied Donald Trump’s request to delay the judgment for a month.
A fire engulfed two residential buildings in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia on Thursday, killing four people and leaving 19 others missing hours after the blaze started, authorities said.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 71 people in southern and central Gaza during roughly the past 24 hours, the territory's health officials said Thursday.
A Black high school student’s monthslong punishment by his Texas school district for refusing to change his hairstyle does not violate a new state law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, a judge ruled on Thursday.
U.S. authorities have accused another sanitation company of illegally hiring at least two dozen children to clean dangerous meat processing facilities, the latest example of illegal child labour that officials say is increasingly common.
A fire that killed five members of a Missouri family was intentionally set by the mother, police said.
A photo of federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay eating lobster in Malaysia during an official trip has some people seeing red.
Justin Trudeau took an unprompted jab at Pierre Poilievre over a Senate porn bill that the prime minister says could usher in a digital ID for adults who want to browse certain websites.
Canada is the only NATO member without a plan or a timeline to reach the alliance's target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, according to the U.S. ambassador to NATO.
More people are injured by treadmills than any other piece of exercise equipment, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. More than 22,000 treadmill injuries resulted in hospital emergency room visits in 2019.
Amid a growing number of measles outbreaks in the United States and Europe, health officials are warning the public about the possibilities of outbreaks in Canada, with one infectious disease specialist saying even a few measles cases can spark an outbreak.
Alabama's largest hospital paused in vitro fertilization treatments Wednesday as providers and patients across the state scrambled to assess the impact of a court ruling that said frozen embryos are the legal equivalent of children.
A spacecraft built and flown by Texas-based company Intuitive Machines landed near the moon's south pole on Thursday, the first U.S. touchdown on the lunar surface in more than half a century and the first ever achieved by the private sector.
A set of smart vending machines at the University of Waterloo is expected to be removed from campus after students raised privacy concerns about their software.
Putting a wet iPhone in uncooked rice has for years been a popular method to dry it out, but the company now says that's not what users should do.
Sylvester Stallone revealed that he had seven major surgeries after suffering a neck fracture shooting a fight scene with Stone Cold Steve Austin on the set of “The Expendables” in 2010.
Former talk show host Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, according to representatives for Williams.
Toronto native Mae Martin will host the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards.
Lynx Air announced Thursday that it has filed for creditor protection from the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. The airline said in a release that it will cease operations at midnight, Monday, Feb. 26, with flights continuing until then.
The high cost of groceries isn't just taking a bite out of Canadians' bank accounts, it's also devouring any hope that prices may decrease.
Canada's largest grocer expects this year to be much like the last: customers continuing to seek discounts and deals, leading to more growth at the company’s discount brands and banners, and higher profits.
Bobi the dog, who died last year reportedly at the age of 31, has been stripped of the world’s oldest ever dog title following a review by Guinness World Records (GWR), the organization announced Thursday.
The newest multi-millionaire is advised to sign the back of their winning ticket immediately and head to a retailer to have it validated, so the OLG is notified.
More people are injured by treadmills than any other piece of exercise equipment, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. More than 22,000 treadmill injuries resulted in hospital emergency room visits in 2019.
Mississippi's Republican attorney general sued the Republican state auditor Thursday, saying the auditor is trying to usurp her authority over recovering interest on misspent welfare money from retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre, money that was supposed to help some of the poorest people in the U.S.
He's a runner, a juggler and now Jean-Marc Doiron finds himself joggling, and chasing a world record.
Auston Matthews scored his 50th and 51st goals of the season in his hometown to break a tie as the fastest U.S.-born player to reach 50 and help the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the crumbling Arizona Coyotes 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Toyota is conducting a safety recall to approximately 28,061 SUVs and pickup trucks in Canada involving transmission issues, the company said in a press release on Thursday.
There are additional aspects about buying an EV that you'll need to consider in order to get the best value. The car experts at Edmunds have put together five tips on what you need to know.
Even though authorities are trying to crack down on car thefts in Montreal, three men accused of operating a luxury car theft ring in the city walked free last month because it took too long for their case to go to trial.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
