President Joe Biden called key allies Tuesday to reassure them of continued US military aid for Ukraine — even as the White House warned the flow would dry up in months if Republicans in Congress block new funds.
Biden spoke with the leaders of Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, the heads of the EU and NATO, and the foreign minister of France as fears grew of Western war fatigue.
The Democrat has been scrambling to calm allies after a last-gasp deal in the US Congress to avoid a government shutdown on Saturday dropped new funding for Kyiv, amid opposition from hardline Republicans.
“President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, with fellow leaders echoing their commitments,” the White House said in a readout.
But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby warned that if fresh aid is not approved, existing funds to help Ukraine fight Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion will only last “a couple of months.” “Time is not our friend,” Kirby told reporters. A lapse in funding would not only harm Ukraine on the battlefield but “make Putin believe that he can wait us out.”
The Pentagon said it could keep meeting Ukraine’s military needs a “just a little bit longer” with assistance that has already been authorized.
– ‘Sharing the burden’ –
Allies rushed after the call to show a united front with Biden, whose country is by far the largest supplier of aid to Ukraine.
Washington has committed more than $43 billion in military assistance to Kyiv since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Congress has approved a total of $113 billion in aid including humanitarian help.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said Biden was “keen to reassure the allies about the continuing American support for Ukraine” after the shutdown drama.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanked Biden for his “leadership,” adding that Western support would continue for “as long as it takes.”
NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg “stressed the importance of continued support to Ukraine” and added that the alliance’s members were “sharing the burden equitably.”
Russia has pounced on the chaos in Washington, with the Kremlin saying on Monday that Western war fatigue would grow due to the uncertainty over US assistance for Ukraine.
Biden has said the global role of the United States is at stake, saying on social media “we are the indispensable nation in the world — let’s act like it.”
– Congress chaos –
But the disruption in an ever-more divided US political scene could upend moves to pass the fresh $6 billion in aid that Biden had been seeking.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role later Tuesday, forced out by the far-right of his party that has put stopping aid to Ukraine at the top of its agenda.
The chaos comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington in September to plead for continued backing.
Opposition among hardline Republicans has been spreading more than a year and a half into Russia’s invasion, including to some voters.
An ABC/Washington Post poll released September 24 showed 41 percent of respondents saying the United States was doing too much to support Ukraine, up from 33 percent in February and just 14 percent in April 2022.
Doubts about Western unity have also grown after Slovakia elected populist leader Robert Fico — who has pledged to end military support for Ukraine — as prime minister at the weekend.
burs-dk/bgs – Danny KEMP
