Biden to Congress: Aid to Ukraine cannot wait

U.S. President Joe Biden called on Republicans in Congress to abandon political squabbles and pass a large-scale request for supplemental funding for national security, including assistance to Ukraine.

He stated this in a special address on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“This cannot wait,” Joe Biden said, adding that Congress should approve additional funding for Ukraine before going on holiday vacation.

He emphasized that the Republicans in Congress, who are blocking the assistance package, are “willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for and abandon our global leadership”.

He expressed the opinion that Republicans believe they can achieve their goals without any bipartisan compromise.

He emphasized that this will not work, and Ukraine, which is losing people on the battlefield, should not suffer because of such an approach. Biden said that he is ready to make "significant compromises" regarding changes in border policy, admitting that the system applied in the United States does not work as it should. However, the president expects that the Republicans will go for that compromise.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Democrats in the U.S. Senate presented a bill providing for about $111 billion, which corresponds to the supplemental funding request filed by President Joe Biden and includes assistance to Ukraine and Israel, as well as measures aimed at protecting the southern border of the U.S.

Photo: Ukrainian President’s Office