American President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Tuesday with several important allies of the United States, as the future of American funding for Ukraine remains uncertain, reports CNN.
Joe Biden in a phone call with Volodymyr ZelenskyPhoto: White House Photo / Alamy / Profimedia Images
“President Biden agreed to a discussion this morning with allies and partners to coordinate our continued support for Ukraine,” the White House said in a statement.
The phone call comes days after the US Congress passed a temporary law extending US government spending for more than a month to avoid default, but which did not include any provision for relief funds. Ukraine, which remains a thorny issue for hard-line Republican conservatives.
According to the White House, among the participants in the discussion with Biden were:
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
- the president of the European Council, Charles Michel
- Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz
- the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni
- the prime minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida
- the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg
- the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda
- the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis
- the prime minister of Great Britain, Rishi Sunak
- the foreign minister of France, Catherine Colonna
Moreover, the spokeswoman of the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, informed as early as Monday that the US Administration has been in contact with allies and partners on the subject of continued funding for Ukraine and that these discussions will continue.
Following the conversation on Tuesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that President Biden assured the leaders of the G7 and EU states during the video conference of Washington’s continued support for Ukraine, Reuters reports.
How Ukraine views what is happening in Washington
Commenting on the developments in Washington, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said on Monday that he hoped the exclusion of aid to Ukraine from the deal voted by the US Congress was nothing more than an “incident”.
“The question is whether what happened in the American Congress at the end of last week is an incident or is it systematic,” Kuleba said on the sidelines of the meeting with foreign ministers from the European Union. “I think it was an incident. We have a very in-depth discussion with both sides of Congress, Republicans and Democrats. And against the background of a potential shutdown of government activity in the United States, the decision was taken as it was,” he explained.
“But now we’re working with both sides of Congress to make sure it doesn’t happen again under any circumstances. So we do not feel that the support of the United States has dissipated. Because the United States understands that the stake in Ukraine is much higher than just Ukraine, it’s about the stability and predictability of the world,” added Kuleba.
“We are more than confident that American support will not stop”
On the other hand, in a wide-ranging interview with CNN, Ukraine’s National Security Adviser, Oleksii Danilov, expressed his concern over the action of the US Congress to exclude aid to Ukraine under the agreement to keep the federal government operating.
“We have to see if the United States is responsible for democracy in the world, if it remains the country that supports democracy or if it is the country that will stand aside and watch as authoritarian states grab more and more territory. This is quite simple,” Danilov pointed out.
“If the United States is a bastion of democracy in the world, then the answer should be clear to everyone. If the United States believes that it should move away from this, that chaos should reign throughout the world, that authoritarian states should seize more and more territory, then the United States should also give this response,” he emphasized Ukrainian official.
Referring to the debate between the Republican presidential candidates regarding the extent of aid to Ukraine, Danilov said: “We are aware that a political process, an electoral process, has begun in the United States. We do not intervene in this process in any way, but we would very much like it not to affect the development of democracy in the world”.
“I emphasize once again that it would be a great joy for Putin, and not only for him, but for all autocratic regimes, if the US would withdraw from the assistance it provides to our country,” he insisted.
Danilov also said that the world is at a crossroads. “Darkness can quickly engulf many countries. The American people must choose – either on the side of light, or prepare for very unexpected events that may appear,” the Ukrainian adviser warned. Danilov added, however, that he is certain that the American people “are on the side of the light.”
“As for the end of American support, we are more than confident that this will not happen,” he said.
The winter months will not make any difference regarding Ukraine’s strategic objectives, assured Danilov, referring to the situation on the battlefield.
He said his country still needs more air defense systems to protect critical infrastructure – energy facilities, water supplies and the fuel and power complex.
Regarding possible negotiations to end the conflict, Danilov declared that the Russians cannot be trusted. “These are people who cannot negotiate with anyone. Today they will agree with you, but tomorrow they will not implement these agreements,” he warned.
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