(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden held a call with allies to reassure them of continued US support for Ukraine, seeking to ease worries after a government funding bill omitted $6 billion in aid.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden held a call with allies to reassure them of continued US support for Ukraine, seeking to ease worries after a government funding bill omitted $6 billion in aid.
Biden was joined on the call by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, President Andrzej Duda of Poland, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the White House said in a statement.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Romainian President Klaus Iohannis and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna also participated in the call, according to the White House.
Biden’s plans to reach out to allies was first reported by Bloomberg News.Â
Biden on Saturday signed a short-term funding measure from Congress to keep the US government open until Nov. 17 and avoid a shutdown — but the quickly passed bill failed to include additional aid for Kyiv. The move was a blow to both Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who just last month visited Washington to personally plead for continued assistance.
Biden has said he expects Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to keep his word and secure passage of Ukraine aid in separate legislation. But fresh assistance is not certain. McCarthy has suggested linking Ukraine funding to measures on US border security and immigration that are opposed by Democrats.
(Updates with details on call, participants)
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