If Ukraine does not replenish military armaments that are running dangerously low, it will lose its more than 2-year-long battle against Russia's invasion, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned Thursday.
Issuing an appeal to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on the floor of the Senate, Schumer said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave the chilling message during Schumer's recent visit to Ukraine.
"Zelenskyy told me directly," Schumer said, "if Ukraine gets the aid they need, they will win the war. If they don't get those armaments, they will almost certainly lose."
Schumer also insisted there has been no loss of "courage, strength, or dedication" by the people of Ukraine.
"I can assure you, that after meeting with President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, their resolve to win the war is stronger than ever," he said in the Senate floor speech. "Russian advancements have come simply because the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition."
The consequences will be dire, he warned.
"If we don't provide this aid ASAP, not only will Ukraine lose the war, but the United States will lose out to the Putins, the Xis, and other autocratic heads of state," he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's leader Xi Jinping.
"The American people will lose out – economically, militarily, diplomatically, politically," he added.
"This is a true turning point for America — for our strength, for our credibility on the world stage, for our national security.
"Speaker Johnson, please don't shrink from this moment. Let this supplemental bill — which passed with 70 votes here in the Senate — move forward. History is watching you."
The House is under pressure to pass the $95 billion national security package that bolsters aid for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, as well as the Indo-Pacific.
That legislation has already cleared the Senate on a 70-29 vote, but Johnson has resisted putting up the aid bill for a vote in the House after conservatives balked at foreign aid unless or until the Biden administration agrees to improved southern border policies.
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