Biden confident of continued Ukraine funding despite ‘some’ Republican ‘voices’
Naomi Lim
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Standing beside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, President Joe Biden expressed confidence the United States would continue supporting Ukraine‘s defense against Russia‘s aggression despite some congressional Republicans opposing funding additional to the debt ceiling deal.
“I believe we will have the funding necessary to support Ukraine as long as it takes,” Biden told reporters on Thursday at the White House. “I believe that that support will be real, even though you hear some voices on Capitol Hill today” to the contrary.
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In addition to discussing the geopolitics of Ukraine, Russia, and China, the pair agreed to a new economic cooperation plan covering a renewable energy transition, emerging technology, and critical minerals before Sunak’s first international meeting dedicated to artificial intelligence.
“That’s the unshakable foundation of this special relationship, and it is a special relationship,” Biden said in the East Room. “There’s no country closer to us than Great Britain.”
“Some have wondered what kind of partner Britain would be after leaving the EU,” Sunak added of the European Union. “I say judge us by our actions.”
Sunak’s White House visit is his first despite meeting with Biden every month for the last three months: during an AUKUS trilateral security pact event in San Diego, California, Biden’s trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the Group of Seven leaders summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Sunak’s visit punctuates a tumultuous period for Conservative Party governments in the United Kingdom after former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss‘s tenures were cut short by different controversies.
Before their Oval Office meeting, Biden responded to a reporter’s question about the status of the two countries’ special relationship with a thumbs-up.
“Together, we are providing economic and humanitarian aid and security systems to Ukraine in their fight against a brutal invasion from Russia,” he said.
Sunak also reflected on Russia’s war in Ukraine, adding the leaders’ economies were experiencing the greatest change since the Industrial Revolution.
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“One thing I’m confident won’t change is the strength of our partnership, our friendship,” he said. “We will put our values front and center, as we’ve always done, to deliver for the British and American people.”
Sunak’s White House visit was preceded by a trip to Congress on Wednesday to meet House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and his Senate counterparts. Sunak, too, attended Wednesday’s Washington Nationals baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks but decided against throwing the opening pitch.