April 18, 2024
‘Urgent need’ for Congress to pass aid package — US and Ukraine foreign ministers
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba have both stressed the need for the US Congress to pass a new military aid package for Kyiv as it fights against a Russian invasion.
“At this moment, it is urgent that all of the friends and supporters of Ukraine maximize their efforts to provide … Ukraine with what it needs to continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression,” Blinken said, speaking on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting on the Mediterranean island of Capri.
Blinken said it was in the US’ own interests to ensure Ukraine could ward off the Russian assault.
“If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is allowed to proceed with impunity, we know he won’t stop at Ukraine,” Blinken said.
Kuleba “emphasized the urgent need for the U.S. Congress to pass the supplemental aid package for Ukraine.”
He said the US aid package, which has long been blocked by Republicans in Congress, “will literally, without exaggeration, help save Ukrainians from Russian missile slaughter.”
Citing the Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s historic city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, which killed at least 18 people, Kuleba said the tragedy was “that these kind of attacks happen almost every day in Ukraine.”
The G7 meeting is due to discuss support for Ukraine at a session later on Thursday.
The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on Saturday on new military aid, including some $61 billion (€57 billion) in support for Ukraine.
