Biden Says US Support For Ukraine Must Not Be Interrupted After Deal To Avert Shutdown Drops Aid

(RFE/RL) — U.S. President Joe Biden vowed on October 1 after signing a bill to avoid a government shutdown that aid for Ukraine that was dropped from the legislation would continue and said he expects Congress to pass the aid in separate legislation.

Biden said in an address from the White House Ukraine can count on U.S. support.

“We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” he added.

Biden spoke after Congress averted a government shutdown by passing a short-term funding package late on September 29 and rushing it to the White House for his signature before the midnight deadline. But in order to ensure passage, legislators dropped assistance for Ukraine to help in its fight against Russia.

Biden is now urging Congress to negotiate an aid package as soon as possible, saying there’s “an overwhelming sense of urgency.”

He said he expects House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Republican-California) to keep his commitment to secure passage of support needed to help Ukrainians “defend themselves against aggression and brutality.”

Asked if he could trust McCarthy to honor deals, Biden said, “We just made one about Ukraine, so we’ll find out.”

A White House official said Biden was referring to a promise from Republicans to pass a separate bill on the issue.

McCarthy said he would “make sure that the weapons are provided for Ukraine,” but added in an interview with U.S. broadcaster CBS that this would be only in conjunction with legislation dealing with the U.S. southern border as demanded by far-right Republicans who insist domestic matters such as illegal immigration and crime take priority.

Ukraine played down the situation, saying Kyiv continues to work to ensure new aid.

“The Ukrainian government is now actively working with its American partners to ensure that the new U.S. budget decision, which will be developed over the next 45 days, includes new funds to help Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said.

Despite the growing signs of war fatigue in the U.S. Congress, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was counting on the United States to keep up its unwavering security assistance to Ukraine.

“We believe this will not be the last word,” Borrell said while on a visit to Kyiv on October 1. “I have the hope that this will not be the definite decision and that the United States will continue to support Ukraine.”

Borrell met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, saying afterward that the EU is preparing long-term security commitments for Ukraine.

“Ukraine needs more capabilities & needs them faster,” Borrell said on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said he had discussed “continuous EU military assistance” during his first in-person meeting with Umerov.

“We are preparing long-term security commitments for Ukraine,” Borrell said.

The aggression against Ukraine “is accompanied by massive hybrid attacks, with propaganda, malign information manipulation & cyber attacks,” he added, saying the EU continues supporting Ukraine in defending itself against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s disinformation.

Umerov, who took over as defense minister in September, said on X he was grateful for the EU’s “continuous support” and that the meeting was “a starting point for great cooperation.”

He said their discussions covered artillery, ammunition, air defense, electronic warfare, and long-term assistance programs, training, and defense industry localization in Ukraine.

Umerov also thanked U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, saying he had a phone conversation with him on October 1 in which they discussed further military assistance from the U.S.

“Secretary Austin assured me that U.S. support to Ukraine will continue [and] Ukrainian warriors will continue to have a strong back-up on the battlefield,” Umerov said.