On Sunday, June 20, United States Presidential Adviser on National Security Jake Sullivan confirmed that the U.S. has temporarily halted a military aid package to Ukraine that would include lethal weapons, a plan originally made in response to aggressive Russian troop movements along Ukraine’s border this spring.This was reported by The Washington Post.
During the interview, Sullivan was asked to explain why the United States has frozen its aid package to Ukraine, another recent criticism from conservatives. Sullivan noted that there has “been confusion in the reporting,” especially when it comes to what has already been allocated.
“The United States has given Ukraine $275 million in aid and had promised an additional $100 million if Russia continued to pose an imminent threat by building up troops along the border with Ukraine. Given that the threat had subsided, the United States froze that extra $100 million,” Jake Sullivan stated. However, Sullivan cautioned that the United States stands ready to help Ukraine if Russia takes aggressive actions. “The idea that we have withheld any security assistance from Ukraine is simply nonsense,” he added.
Simultaneously, Sullivan reiterated once again that Biden was terse with Putin behind closed doors, making it clear that there would be consequences if Russia continues to take actions detrimental to the United States.