US adversaries would be ‘happy’ if Ukraine, Israel aid bill stalls, Blinken says

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Sunday that adversaries of the United States such as Russia, Iran and China would be “happy” if the White House supplemental aid bill to support Ukraine and Israel stalls in Congress.

CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed Blinken on what it would mean for Ukraine and Israel if the aid package wasn’t passed before the end of the year.

“I think the only people who’d be happy if the supplemental budget request is not voted on and approved by Congress are sitting in Moscow, sitting in Tehran, sitting in Beijing,” Blinken said on “State of the Union.”

“For Ukraine, this is absolutely vital. They’ve made remarkable progress over the last year and pushing back Russian aggression, taking back more than 50 percent of the territory that was seized since February of 2022,” he added.

Senate Republicans blocked a measure to provide aid to Ukraine and Israel last week due to a lack of border provisions in the bill. The $111 billion emergency supplemental package requested by President Biden also included aid for the Indo-Pacific region and funding for humanitarian aid in Gaza, however, Senate Republicans were unsatisfied with the border security promises outlined in the bill.

The Biden administration also unveiled a new aid package for Ukraine last week that would provide up to $175 million of arms and equipment under previously directed drawdowns. Without congressional action by the end of the year, the White House warned earlier this month that the U.S. will run out of money for Ukraine amid its war with Russia.

Blinken also noted that a majority of the assistance in the supplemental aid request goes right to U.S. manufactuers and called on Congress to step up as other countries have approved aid to Ukraine.

“So we have the burden sharing that we need,” Blinken said. “This is a time to really step up. Because if we don’t, we know what happens, Putin will be able to move forward with impunity. And we know he won’t stop in Ukraine. And he may well end up going after a NATO country that would bring us in given our obligations to our NATO allies.”