Former National Security Advisor John Bolton called on Congress to speed up approval of further aid for Ukraine following the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
What happened: Bolton, in an interview with SiriusXM’s “The Julie Mason Show” on Friday, stressed the urgency of passing the Ukraine aid package, which has been mired in political controversy, The Hill reported. He stressed that the aid is crucial to Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
“I think the way to express our feelings, really, especially in the United States, is to get this aid package passed for Ukraine and get it out of the political turmoil it’s been through for reasons, in large part, of all unrelated to Ukraine,” Bolton said.
President Joe Biden He also stressed the importance of the aid, urging House Republicans to act quickly. He warned that failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will have lasting consequences.
“We must provide the funding so Ukraine can continue to defend itself from Putin’s vicious attacks and war crimes,” Biden said.
While the Senate has already approved a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine, the speaker of the House said Mike Johnson (R-La.) signaled that the issue could not be put to a vote in the lower house.
Bolton acknowledged that former president Donald Trump and some Republicans oppose further aid to Ukraine. However, he expressed hope that the majority of Parliament will support the aid package.
“I just hope they can get through the procedural quagmire,” Bolton added.
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The White House has criticized Johnson for not bringing the Senate’s Ukraine aid package to a vote, accusing him of jeopardizing national security.
Because matter: The call for more aid to Ukraine comes in the wake of Navalny’s death, which sparked international outrage. Navalny, a prominent critic of the Russian president Vladimir Putin, died Friday under mysterious circumstances in a Russian prison. His death led to widespread condemnation and calls for action against the Russian government.
Meanwhile, the US Senate recently approved a $95 billion foreign policy package in a bipartisan vote, which includes substantial aid to Ukraine. The approval of this aid package is seen as a significant shift in US foreign policy and a strong message of support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. However, the bill faces tough difficulties in the House, where more conservative Republicans and President Johnson have expressed disapproval of the legislation.
Amid rising tensions, Ukraine has sought military aid from Western allies. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy recently visited Germany and France to provide military assistance and finalize bilateral security agreements. The urgency of the situation in Ukraine further underlined the need for additional aid to counter Russian aggression.
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