Washington CNN — President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged Congress to resolve negotiations over the future of Ukraine funding, saying “petty partisan politics can’t get in the way” of aid for Kyiv.
“History’s going to judge harshly those who turn their back on freedom’s cause,” the president said. “We can’t let Putin win.”
The speech, which was not originally on the president’s daily schedule, served as an effort to jumpstart stalled negotiations over the administration’s proposed $106 billion aid package, and comes at a critical time for Ukraine as the White House has warned that aid for the war-torn country is running out.
The package includes about $60 billion in aid toward Ukraine’s defenses against Russia, with the rest going toward Israel’s war with Hamas, security in Taiwan and funding for operations at the US-Mexico border. Top Republicans, weary of adding more to the $111 billion the US has already sent to Ukraine, have asked that any further funding be tied to major immigration-related policy changes.
Biden said he was willing to make “significant compromises on the border,” conceding the country’s immigration system is “broken,” but added Ukraine’s needs are too critical to wait. He called out “extreme Republicans” as negotiators remain at a critical impasse over the sticking point issue of border security, saying those Republicans are “playing chicken with our national security.”
R&I – TP
Enterprise7
Article URL : https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/06/politics/biden-ukraine-aid/index.html