Bloomberg – President Joe Biden’s administration and top Republicans sought to reassure Ukraine that U.S. military aid will not be cut off after the House of Representatives cut funding for the aid in a short-term spending bill.
The decision to halt aid to Ukraine – at least for now – is a blow to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with Biden and lawmakers last week and personally advocated for new weapons systems, including F-16 fighter jets and ATACMS missiles greater range.
While support for Ukraine remains strong, especially in the Senate, the House of Representatives on Saturday passed a bipartisan bill to prevent a government shutdown in the United States, providing $6 billion in funding for the country’s fight against a Russian invasion were saved. In the future, support can be provided on a separate invoice.
President Kevin McCarthy indicated he would try to tie aid to changes in U.S. border policy that Democrats oppose.
Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Saturday that he was confident that funding for Ukraine would continue and that there was “absolutely no doubt” about Republican support for such funding.
“It’s not the end of the appropriation process,” he said. “The financing of Ukraine will come to an end.”
Lawmakers from both parties who support funding for Ukraine said it could be handled separately. A White House official welcomed the House-passed bill and said the Biden administration expects aid to Ukraine to be addressed separately.
“No one should take this as a message that the United States’ commitment to Ukraine is somehow weakening,” Risch said.
Continued support from the United States and its allies is crucial for Zelensky as his forces struggle to advance against Russian troops who still occupy about 17% of his territory, raising doubts about his ability to completely expel them.
Fissures are emerging in support for Kiev and Poland, a key ally, threatened to cut off arms shipments this month in a dispute over grain shipments. At the same time, Zelenskiy’s efforts to win over major developing countries at the United Nations General Assembly last week yielded few visible results.
McCarthy, who has called for accountability for money that has already flowed to Ukraine, told reporters last week that he rejected Zelenskiy’s request to speak before Congress again because lawmakers did not have time during a “busy week.”
Hardliners in McCarthy’s party said the United States would be better off pouring more money into the U.S. military to better prepare for a direct fight against China or Russia.
McCarthy’s decision to challenge the ultraconservatives on short-term spending legislation could free him from the clutches of the far right.
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