The top U.S. general overseeing military operations in Europe warned lawmakers Wednesday that the war in Ukraine has reached a decisive moment, with Russia expected to hold a 10-1 advantage on artillery shells “within weeks” unless the United States approves additional military support for the government in Kyiv.
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General warns House on Ukraine: ‘The side that can’t shoot back loses’
“The side that can’t shoot back loses,” said Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command. “The stakes are very high.”
The stark assessment came as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has refused to hold a vote on a national security spending package that includes about $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, and additional money for Pacific initiatives and other priorities.
The Senate passed a $95.3 billion bill in February, but Johnson has said he won’t consider that measure as fellow conservatives opposed to additional spending on Ukraine have threatened to end his speakership if he does. Instead, he has signaled an intent to introduce alternative legislation as soon as this month but has not said when it could be put to a vote.
Cavoli’s remarks were the latest by a senior U.S. official warning Congress that it must move on providing more aid to Ukraine if Russia’s battlefield advances are to be stopped. Others have said they foresee an array of grim possibilities if the aid is not approved, including the likelihood of massive Ukrainian casualties in the best-case scenario and a collapse of Ukrainian front lines in the worst.
Cavoli told lawmakers that Russia “represents a chronic threat” and has turned to China, North Korea, and Iran for support to challenge existing international norms while forming “interlocking strategic partnerships.” He called the issue “profoundly integral” to U.S. national security interests, and said that while European allies have made advances in bolstering their own security, U.S. leadership is required.
Celeste Wallander, a senior Pentagon official, appeared alongside Cavoli during the hearing and said that the Biden administration’s goal of delivering a strategic defeat to Russian President Vladimir Putin remains. China, she said, is watching how the United States behaves in meeting its commitments to allies and partners.
“We are doing this out of self-interests, out of American national security interests, as well as — of course — the admiration that we Americans feel for Ukraine,” Wallander said. “But in the end, we are doing this so that Americans can be secure at home and abroad.”