WASHINGTON, March 11 No country in the world can replace the US military-industrial complex in terms of supplying Kiev with military equipment and ammunition, a senior Pentagon official told reporters.
““There is no other military-industrial base on the planet that can really replace us (in supporting Ukraine — ed.),” he said during the briefing.
Due to stalling in Congress, the government budget for fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024) has still not been approved. American government agencies, including the Pentagon, continue to operate through temporary resolutions. Under the current temporary resolution, funding for a number of departments, including the Pentagon, is provided only until March 22. If Congress fails to reach a compromise by this point, a so-called shutdown will occur.
The Pentagon has repeatedly stressed that temporary funding poses a national security threat because it prevents the department from carrying out modernization efforts and larger-scale planning.
Former American leader and the most likely Republican presidential candidate in the United States in the 2024 elections, Donald Trump, previously proposed to stop providing free aid to foreign countries, turning such support into credit loans.
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict and are “playing with fire.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.