TULSA, Okla. — With a potential government shutdown only three days away, U.S. arms and economic aid to Ukraine could be under threat.
In Tulsa, efforts are continuing to ship items to Ukraine.
Anna Shvetsova lives in Kyiv and said Ukranians try their best to live normal lives but know American weapons play a significant role in keeping them safe. She said more weapons are needed to end the war.
"The U.S. is helping a lot, and we are very grateful for all the military help that we have. But we want this war to be over because our people died there," Shvetsova said.
Steven Moore can't send weapons, but his organization -Ukraine Freedom Project- donated about $1,000,000 worth of items to the front.
When some members of Congress are turning against more aid to Ukraine, Moore is also trying to convince those on Capital Hill that it wouldn't be smart.
"If Russia wins, that shows the other brutal dictators in the world that they can get away with it," Moore said. "If we pull out of the global coalition supporting Ukraine, that does not make the world a safer place. It creates an environment where Xi Jinping can do things like invade Taiwan, which will bring in American forces."
One of Moore's many partners is V.J. Lively. He showed 2 News around the Tulsa Rotary's medical supply warehouse. It's where he gathers aid locally and stuffs it in 40-foot-high containers.
Shvetsova does the paperwork, and it's sent to Ukraine.
"It goes to Poland - down through Warsaw, then to Lviv and down to Kyiv, where they have big warehouses, and they disperse it out and send it to where it needs to go," Lively said.
Lively said Ukraine needs anything, and you can find just about anything in the warehouse. Scrubs, beds, and other medical equipment are plentiful inside.
Karl Ahlgren is voluntarily going to Ukraine in two weeks and plans to do church outreach. Like Moore, he also wants to bring back firsthand knowledge.
"Quite frankly, if we had given the Ukrainians the military weapons they needed from early on, I truly believe this war would be over," Ahlgren said.
According to the Department of Defense, the U.S. committed more than $29 billion of security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion last year. The U.S. recently sent an additional $325 million arms package of air defense equipment, artillery rounds, and weapons.
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