(Washington) Joe Biden on Monday reiterated a pressing call for Congress to adopt a budget of tens of billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine, currently blocked by the Republican opposition.
“Congress must adopt this funding” for Ukraine “and it must do it now, now,” the American president told journalists while receiving Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the White House.
An envelope of 60 billion dollars for Kyiv, requested by the Democratic president, has been blocked in the American Congress for months, just like another envelope for Israel.
“As the Czech Republic knows only too well, Russia will not stop at Ukraine and the impact on NATO would be significant,” Biden said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “will not stop, endangering Europe, the United States and the whole world if we do not stop him in Ukraine,” he added.
He also welcomed the Czech initiative to group purchases of artillery ammunition outside the European Union to support Ukraine.
The Czech Republic has been mobilizing for several months to convince other countries to finance a fund intended to purchase ammunition that the EU is unable to produce in sufficient quantities.
PHOTO MANUEL BALCE CENETA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala with Joe Biden
“In 1968, I saw Russian tanks in the streets of my city and I never want to see that again,” said Mr. Fiala, referring to the Prague Spring, and calling for continued support for Ukraine .
Concerning the aid plan, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, indicated on Sunday that he intended to submit a budget bill for Israel, after the massive missile and drone attack Iranians over the weekend, but without saying what he would do about Ukraine.
The White House rejected it on Monday.
“We will not accept a single text” only on Israel. This will help neither Israel nor Ukraine. This would only delay this necessary aid, said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
By far the primary military support for Ukraine, the United States has not sent a large envelope to Kyiv since December 2022.
Without these funds, “Ukraine will lose the war,” President Volodymyr Zelensky recently warned.