White House hopes to secure funding for aid to Ukraine - Kirby
White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby (photo: GettyImages)
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is hopeful that Congress will soon pass a bill allocating additional funding to aid Ukraine, states White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby.
A White House representative has revealed that the $60 billion proposed in the bill submitted by Biden to Congress for aid to Ukraine has been carefully discussed with Kyiv and meticulously tailored to address Ukrainian needs.
Kirby stated that they hoped, and the President also hoped, that they would secure the funding and could return to a status of global leadership in supporting Ukraine.
He also commented on statements by world leaders expressing doubts about whether the U.S. would provide funding for Ukraine.
He mentioned that one couldn't blame other leaders in the world for contemplating the decisions they had to make at present, considering the uncertainty surrounding the decisions that the U.S. would make.
Aid from the U.S. to Ukraine
In October of last year, U.S. President Joe Biden requested a bill to Congress allocating $106 billion in aid to Israel, Ukraine, and allies in the Asia-Pacific region. Of this amount, $61.3 billion was earmarked for Kyiv.
However, in December, the U.S. Senate blocked the initiation of debates on this aid package. The Republicans' demands for a tougher set of measures to secure the southern border with Mexico were cited as the reason for the blockage.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Congress about potential consequences if lawmakers fail to pass the bill that includes funding for assistance to Ukraine.
Recently, The Washington Post reported that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is working on a long-term strategy to support Ukraine, shifting the focus away from de-occupation efforts and concentrating on aiding Ukraine in repelling new Russian threats.
