White House Says Ukraine Could Struggle to Receive Other Aid if US Funding Lapses

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Ukraine could struggle to receive aid from other countries if aid from the United States lapses due to congressional inaction, National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby stated on Tuesday.

“Without our support, it’s not inconceivable that some of that other support would be harder for Ukraine to achieve,” Kirby said during a press briefing.

The US has “incredible convening power” to organize assistance efforts for Ukraine, Kirby claimed.

The US has a couple of months of funding remaining to support Ukraine, after which there would be a lapse in assistance unless US lawmakers pass a new aid package, Kirby stressed.

At the same time, the coordinator stated that the US has seen no indications that Ukraine has harmed civilians using US-provided cluster munitions.

"I’m not aware of any indications that we’ve seen that there’s been civilian harm as a result of them [cluster munitions]," Kirby argued.

The offcial noted that he could not preview whether cluster munitions would be included in future US aid packages.

Cluster munitions have been a "significant enabler" of Ukrainian efforts to break through Russian defensive lines, Kirby claimed.

The Pentagon has told the White House that Ukrainians are using cluster munitions appropriately to strike Russian command-and-control sites and large formations of Russian troops, Kirby insisted.