Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday (2/10) said he believed the United States (US) “will be able to find the necessary solutions” to resume military aid for Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters alongside EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Kuleba said Ukraine had held in-depth discussions with US legislators from the Democratic and Republican factions.
He described the decision by US lawmakers to remove financial support for Ukraine from interim budget legislation passed on Saturday to prevent a shutdown of the federal government as an “incident,” rather than a systemic change in support.
“We don’t feel that US support has been destroyed, because the US understands that what is at stake in Ukraine is much bigger than Ukraine, it is a matter of world stability and certainty,” Kuleba said.
Borrell, who chaired a meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council in Kyiv on Monday, said he also believed a solution would be found to resume US aid to Ukraine.
US legislation to keep the federal government in operation until November 17 removes additional aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of Republican lawmakers.
In a speech on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said nothing would weaken his country’s fight against Russia.
President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci)
US President Joe Biden on Sunday pressed Republicans in Congress to support legislation to provide more aid to Ukraine, saying he was “sick and tired” of political escalation that nearly led to a government shutdown.
“We cannot allow American support for Ukraine to be compromised under any circumstances. “I fully expect the Speaker of the House to fulfill his commitment to secure the legislation and support necessary to help Ukraine as it defends itself from aggression and atrocities,” he told reporters at the White House.
Many lawmakers, however, acknowledged that winning support for aid to Ukraine in Congress has become increasingly difficult as the war between Russia and Ukraine escalates.
A vote in the House of Representatives at the weekend showed potential problems ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted in favor of removing $300 million from defense spending legislation to train Ukrainian troops and purchase weapons. The budget was ultimately approved separately, but those opposed to providing aid to Ukraine celebrated their growing numbers. (uh/ab)