President speaks after the ousting of House speaker Kevin McCarthy, but German Chancellor remains ‘very convinced’ US will continue to support Kyiv
US president Joe Biden admitted Wednesday he was worried that political turmoil in Washington could threaten US aid to Ukraine, urging Republicans to stop their infighting and back “critically important” assistance for Kyiv.
Biden said that he would soon be giving a major speech on the need to support Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion after the chaos in Washington alarmed US allies.
“It does worry me,” Biden told reporters when asked whether the ousting of Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy by hardliners in his own party could derail more funds for Ukraine’s war effort.
“But I know there are a majority of members of the House and Senate of both parties who have said that they support funding Ukraine.”
A last-gasp deal in Congress to avoid a US government shutdown at the weekend contained no fresh funding for Ukraine, and hopes for a quick resolution have been further complicated by McCarthy’s exit on Tuesday.
The contenders to replace him hold a range of views but among them is hard-right Republican Jim Jordan, who has been notably skeptical on funding Ukraine.
The timing is critical, with the White House warning that aid could run out within months just as Ukraine tries to push forward its slow-moving offensive against Russia before winter sets in.
Biden indicated there was “another means by which we may be able to find funding” without congressional approval, but would not give further details.
The president will get a briefing on Ukraine from his national security team on Thursday, the first to feature the new top US military officer, Gen Charles “CQ” Brown, the White House said.
The president’s comments reflected a change of tone, as Biden had told allies in a call on Tuesday that he was “confident” of getting fresh aid passed, according to the White House.
Biden said he would now make the case for the importance of helping Ukraine as it battles the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February 2022.
“I’m going to be announcing very shortly a major speech I’m going to make on this issue, and why it’s critically important for the United States and our allies that we keep our commitment,” Biden said.
He declined to say when he would make the speech.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday he was “convinced” the United States would continue to provide support for Ukraine despite political turmoil in Washington.
“I am very convinced that the American Congress will make the necessary support for Ukraine possible,” Scholz told reporters in Berlin following a phone call by Biden to allies on the issue on Tuesday.
Biden spoke with the leaders of key allies Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, the heads of the EU and Nato, and the foreign minister of France.
Scholz said after speaking with Biden, he believed “that among the representatives of the Democratic Party as well as the Republican Party there is a big, big number who agree precisely with this support.”
“That is why I am convinced that it will succeed in the political process to quickly approve this aid,” in addition to aid that has been previously voted on, he said.
“The message of the president was that one can absolutely continue to count on the US also on this issue in future,” Scholz added.
Washington has committed more than $43bn in military assistance to Kyiv since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Congress has approved a total of $113bn in aid including humanitarian help.
Germany is the second biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.
Source: The Guardian
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