The United States has the means and the will to support Ukraine in the ongoing conflict with Russia, President Joe Biden said on Friday.
When asked whether the United States has the means and the will to support Ukraine, Biden stated, "Yes."
"Because when we support Ukraine, we're supporting all of Europe. We're supporting NATO," Biden said. "I don't understand the threat that they're [Republicans] are saying they may have to stop funding Ukrainians in their war against this brutal dictator."
Biden said on Thursday
he is "worried" that further US
military assistance for Ukraine may not get approved if Republicans win control of Congress in the midterm elections in November.
US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has pledged that if the Republicans become a majority in the lower chamber of Congress in the midterms, Ukraine will not get a "blank check" for assistance given the looming recession in the United States.
Biden said the Republicans have "no sense of American foreign policy."
US lawmakers are looking to pass a new $50 billion military aid package for Ukraine before January amid concerns that the upcoming midterm elections in November could usher in a new Congress less willing to prop up Kiev, NBC reported on Thursday, citing legislators and aides familiar with the effort.
Congress has approved some $70 billion in aid to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation on February 24.
US voters go to the polls on November 8 to cast ballots in the midterm elections, with the Democratic Party's narrow control of Congress hanging in the balance. All the 435 House seats and 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate are up for election this year, in addition to statewide and local positions.
The Democrats currently control the House by eight seats while the Senate is split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris representing the tie-breaking vote in her role as president of the upper chamber.
Poll aggregator Real Clear Politics (RCP) has Republican candidates ahead in 221 contests, Democrats leading in 176, with 38 considered "toss ups." 218 are needed to win control of the lower chamber. If the races ended today, Republicans would end up with 47 seats in the Senate, the Democrats 46, with seven races in the toss-up category.
