U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed his strong views on the prospect of ceasing aid to Ukraine, labeling such a move as "madness" and counter to U.S. interests. His comments, as reported by The New York Times on the evening of December 5, underscore the ongoing commitment of the United States to supporting Ukraine amidst its conflict with Russia.
Biden's statement comes amid discussions and legislative processes in the U.S. regarding continued support for Ukraine.
The White House had previously warned that the administration would nearly run out of funds for supplying Ukraine with weapons and equipment by the end of the year.
In response to these concerns, the U.S. Senate unveiled a $111 billion funding package aimed at providing assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and border issues. This package, known since October 18, includes a $106 billion aid package covering military support for Israel and Ukraine, as well as aid for countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan.
This comprehensive package is designed to gather broad bipartisan support, especially in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and to facilitate military aid transfers to Ukraine.
However, there has been some debate in Congress about the structure of this aid, with the new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, suggesting that military aid for Ukraine and Israel should be considered separately.
Despite these discussions, the U.S. House of Representatives approved $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, with no mention of Ukraine in that specific bill. Biden has indicated that he would veto any budget bill on aid to Israel that does not include funds for Ukraine.
The issue was further complicated when Democrats in the U.S. Senate blocked a Republican bill that aimed to help Israel separately from Ukraine, a measure previously passed by the House of Representatives.
Eventually, on November 15 (November 16 Kyiv time), the U.S. Senate passed a law on temporary funding and sent the bill to President Joe Biden for signature. This bill, which passed with significant support, did not include additional aid to Ukraine and Israel.
