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Pentagon spokesperson urged Senate to vote for additional aid to Ukraine by May 19

If the decision isn`t adopted, it will start impacting the ability of the USA to provide uninterrupted military aid.

Pentagon spokesperson urged Senate to vote for additional aid to Ukraine by May 19
John Kirby
Photo: EPA/UPG

If the Congress doesn`t adopt the decision to provide aid to Ukraine in the amount of 39.8bn dollars by May 19, it will start impacting the ability of the USA to provide uninterrupted military aid, Pentagon spokeperson John Kirby said during a breafing in the Pentagon, CNN reports.

"By May 19, it'll start impacting the United States' ability to provide Ukraine military aid "uninterrupted," he said. "We would like to get approval for additional authorities before the third week of this month so that we could continue uninterrupted the flow of aid and assistance into Ukraine, so obviously we continue to urge the Senate to act as quickly as possible."

Kirby added that the program Presidential Drawdown Authority under which the USA supplies weapons to Ukraine has about 100mn dollars left.

The US House of Representatives backed a bill providing for additional $39.8 billion of aid to Ukraine this week.

However, the Senate couldn`t vote for it after the Republican senator Rand Paul blocked its passage.

In a statement on Monday President Biden said that the need for additional aid to Ukraine is pressing because previously approved financing has almost come to an end. "I call on Congress to pass the Ukrainian Supplemental funding bill immediately, and get it to my desk in the next few days."

To vote for the aid immediately also urged US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Ostin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

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