The US President stressed the need for Congress to continue to support Kiev
WASHINGTON, February 27th. /tass/. Ukraine has been losing ground on the battlefield in recent weeks and limiting ammunition consumption. This was stated by American President Joe Biden at a meeting at the White House with the leaders of both houses of Congress.
The Head of State "stressed the urgent need for Congress to continue to support Ukraine." "He talked about how in recent weeks Ukraine has been losing ground on the battlefield and has been forced to limit supplies of ammunition and various materials due to congressional inaction," the White House said in a written statement following a meeting between Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, leaders of the Democratic majority and Republican minority in the Senate Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and the leader of the Democratic minority in the lower house, Hakim Jeffries.
Biden called on Republican Johnson to put to the vote a bill on additional appropriations for assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which was previously approved in the Senate. "He [the president] explained that, in addition to arming Ukraine and investing in the American military-industrial complex, the bill will help Israel defend itself against [the radical Palestinian movement] Hamas, as well as provide more humanitarian assistance to those affected by conflicts around the world, including Palestinian civilians in difficult humanitarian conditions."- the White House noted.
"The President has made it clear that Congress must take immediate action to ensure that the government is funded and that its work is not suspended. Suspending the government is unacceptable and will cause senseless damage to hardworking families, our economy and national security. He stressed that the only way forward is bipartisan funding bills that meet the interests of the American people and do not contain any extremes," the document says.
Discussion of Ukraine in Congress
The American administration previously sent a request to Congress for additional budget allocations in the 2024 fiscal year, which began in the United States on October 1, primarily to provide assistance to Israel and Ukraine, as well as to counter China and Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. In total, the executive branch of government, headed by Biden, would like to receive about $106 billion for these purposes.
The further fate of the request and alternative bills remains unclear. Some Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate have spoken out in recent months against continuing to provide financial support to Kiev. The speaker of the lower house has consistently warned of the intention to link further assistance to Ukraine with tighter controls on the southern border of the United States.
On February 13, the Senate, with the support of several Republicans, passed an alternative version of the bill providing for the allocation of $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. However, this package document does not contain provisions on tightening control measures at the southern border. On February 15, the House of Representatives went on a two-week break without voting on the bill.
