Biden ‘worried’ about future aid to Ukraine after McCarthy’s ouster
President Joe Biden expressed concerns about continuing aid to Ukraine following chaos in the House of Representatives after Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker.
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would deliver a “major” speech on Ukraine as his administration pushes Congress to continue providing military aid.
The 45-day funding law that averted a government shutdown late Saturday failed to deliver any aid to Ukraine. The U.S. can support the embattled nation with previously approved resources for now, Biden said, and there may be another way he can provide the funding. He did not elaborate on what that might be, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Biden said he would argue in his speech that it was “overwhelmingly” in the United States’ interest for Ukraine to succeed in the war. The president said he had a long conversation with 16 or 17 foreign leaders on Tuesday in which he told them that the majority of the American people and most lawmakers still support Ukraine.
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Although some members of the House of Representatives do not want to provide additional money to Ukraine, Biden told reporters: “I don’t think we should let gamesmanship get in the way of approving additional funds.”
In his remarks, Biden also hinted at plans to arm Ukraine with long-range ballistic missiles (ATACMS), which its President Volodymyr Zelensky had been requesting for months to oust Russia in the counteroffensive.
“I spoke to Zelensky and everything he asked for, we clarified,” Biden said.
Zelensky told American media, including USA TODAY, in an interview concluding his visit to Washington last month that it was important for Ukraine to obtain the long-range weapons by winter.
“I think we have to, yes,” he said. “Because we have no other way out.”
“We’re almost done”: “Unwavering” support for Ukraine is faltering
Developments:
∎ Ukraine’s special forces landed in occupied Crimea, attacked Russian troops and withdrew after completing an unspecified mission, spokesman Andrii Yusov told Pravda Ukraine. “Unfortunately, there are losses among the Ukrainian armed forces,” Yusov said.
∎ FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, approved the return of Russia’s U17 teams to competition on Wednesday, eight days after Europe’s governing body (UEFA) made a similar decision.
∎ Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said she has begun contacting potential successors to ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to continue aid for the war effort.
The U.S. has found a creative way to address some of Ukraine’s ammunition shortage, and the tactic could serve two purposes.
On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command said 1.1 million 7.62mm cartridges seized in Iran were sent to Ukraine. Ammunition typically used in machine guns and rifles is expected to ease the shortage of these shells, although Ukraine still needs more artillery shells.
““The government acquired ownership of this ammunition on July 20, 2023 through civil forfeiture claims filed by the Department of Justice against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran,” the Central Command said in a statement.
The ammunition was transferred by the IRGC to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216.
Iran was one of Russia’s key allies in the war, providing the explosive Shahed drones that the Kremlin used to terrorize Ukrainian civilians and attack the country’s energy facilities. The use of Iranian weapons against Russia could help drive a wedge between the countries or at least limit their cooperation.
The head of NATO’s military committee warned that Ukraine’s slow but steady counteroffensive urgently needs an infusion of weapons and ammunition if efforts to oust the Russians are successful.
Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer said during a panel discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday that allied countries and defense companies must quickly focus on mass production of weapons and ammunition.
“The bottom of the barrel is now visible,” Bauer said.
Bauer’s warning adds to a recurring theme about supplying Ukraine’s armed forces amid political unrest in the United States, which led to a stopgap measure that funded the government but not Ukraine’s military aid. The Pentagon said there was less than $2 billion left of the $25.9 billion to replenish military supplies.
“We are committed to actively working with our partners to equip our warriors with more weapons and ammunition, especially air defense systems and missiles,” Zelensky said in a statement Social media post. “I am grateful to everyone who helps Ukraine.”
According to Ukrainian National Police, a criminal network of about a dozen people defrauded more than 20 soldiers, volunteers and others who purchased non-existent vehicles, often intended for use on the front lines of the war. Advertisements were posted on social media promising to deliver vans and pickups to the front lines – but “as soon as they received money, they stopped communicating and disappeared,” police said.
In a telephone conversation with a soldier, a suspect told a fictional story that his father also fought, so he wanted to help soldiers and was ready to personally deliver the car to the front. The suspect demanded gas money and later said the car broke down and needed more money for repairs.
A report was filed and some of the suspects were taken into custody, police said.
Contribution: The Associated Press