Pentagon Says Direct Conflict With Russia Possible if Ukraine Aid Not Renewed

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has not ruled out the possibility of direct conflict with Russia if the supplemental funding package that includes Ukraine aid is not approved, Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Tuesday.

"If the US stopped support to Ukraine, we should be clear-eyed about the repercussions. Putin is not going to stop and his quest for power and control beyond Ukraine's borders. Toward NATO. If Putin attacks a NATO ally, we will find ourselves in direct conflict as we are committed to defending every NATO member," Singh said during a press briefing.

The remarks come after NSC Coordinator John Kirby said earlier on Tuesday that without the supplemental bill the United States will no longer be able to provide security assistance to Ukraine.

Singh added that the absence of more US aid will not only be felt by Ukrainian soldiers, but that it could be utilized by Russian President Vladimir Putin to push past Ukraine's borders and into NATO ally territory.

"So let's be clear. We can do the responsible thing and pay now to help Ukraine or we can pay much more later to counteract the gains we give Vladimir Putin and embolden Russia," said Singh.

On Sunday, the Senate released a $118 billion national security supplemental bill that includes some $60 billion in additional aid for Ukraine, $14 billion in aid for Israel and about $20 billion for border security, among other priorities.

US House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, have already labeled the Senate bill as "dead on arrival" and threatened that they will not move it for a vote in the lower chamber of Congress.

Western countries have provided hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. Aid shipments began in 2022 with artillery munitions and training and have escalated to include tanks, advanced air-defense systems, missiles and cluster munitions. The Kremlin has consistently warned against the West's continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they only prolong the conflict, adding that Western military equipment will be eventually destroyed. Moscow also cautioned that NATO countries “are playing with fire” by providing Kiev with arms.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the US and NATO are directly involved in the Ukraine conflict by supplying weapons and training soldiers in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries.