President Biden apologized Friday to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky for the gap in U.S. funding for Ukraine’s war against Russia amid GOP opposition, but promised the White House “fully” supports Kiev.
Biden met with Zelensky in Normandy, where world leaders are gathered to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The US president unveiled another $225 million aid package for Ukraine during the meeting.
“I apologize for the weeks of not knowing what will be approved in terms of funding, because we had problems getting the bill we needed to pass that contained money. it’s finally done,” Biden said.
“We’re still in,” he added. “Completely. Completely.”
Biden signed a $95 billion national security supplement in late April that included $61 billion for Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces.
The bill was passed months after the White House said it did not have the funds to provide munitions and other support to Ukraine. But dozens of Republicans in Congress opposed spending additional money for Kiev, arguing that the government should focus on domestic problems.
Although the bill was approved after months of negotiations, 18 senators and 112 House members still voted against it.
During the interruption of US aid, Russian forces made gains in parts of Ukraine and in early May launched a new offensive in the northern and eastern parts of the country, putting the Ukrainian military under even more pressure.
The Biden administration recently authorized Ukraine to use US weapons to attack targets inside Russia, near the border between the two countries, more than two years after Moscow launched an invasion of its neighbor.
“We are not authorizing attacks within 200 miles of Russia and we are not authorizing attacks on Moscow, on the Kremlin,” Biden told ABC News on Thursday.
Rallying allies to support Ukraine has been a central part of Biden’s foreign policy during his first term, even as the right-wing Republican Party, led by former President Trump, rejected continued U.S. support for Kiev.
Biden, in remarks Thursday to mark the anniversary of D-Day, directly connected the fighting in World War II to the importance of maintaining alliances today.
The president’s meeting with Zelensky in France takes place a week before the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland. Biden will not attend as he will travel from the Group of Seven (G-7) Summit in Italy to a fundraiser in California. Instead, Vice President Harris will represent the White House at the summit.
Updated at 7:49 a.m. EDT
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
