Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba reiterated on Thursday that his country has no “Plan B” for acquiring additional military aid from the United States.
After months of delays, the House of Representatives is finally bringing a foreign aid spending package to a floor vote on Saturday, which includes a $60.84 billion measure to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia. The bill has received support from both sides of the aisle, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, although some Republican lawmakers have continued to push back on passing supplemental spending.
Speaking to a national newscast on Thursday, Kuleba told reporters that Kyiv did not “need” to have a backup plan in the chance that the House bill is not passed this weekend, adding, “Our plan A is to make the most powerful decisions for Ukraine, not half decisions.”
Eduard Kryzhanivskyi/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
“Look, I have no plan B,” said Kuleba, who spoke with reporters after a meeting with the Group of 7 Foreign Affairs Ministers in Italy.
“Plan A, which is adopting a powerful bill, must work,” he continued, adding that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken “supported” the idea “and said that we have to focus exclusively on strong decisions for Ukraine, so on plan A.”
Newsweek reached out to Blinken’s office via email for additional comment Thursday.
Kuleba made similar comments during an interview with CNN in January, a few weeks after the last U.S. aid package to Ukraine was announced by President Joe Biden at the end of 2023.
“We don’t have a plan B. We are confident in plan A,” Kuleba told the network while answering questions on how Kyiv planed to secure additional military assistance from Washington. “Ukraine will always fight with the resources given to it. And … what is given to Ukraine is not charity. It’s an investment in the protection of NATO and in the protection of the prosperity of the American people.”
Blinken previously urged Congress to pass a new military spending bill for Ukraine while speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, saying that the supplement funding that Biden requested is “urgent.”
Johnson spoke up for the latest aid bill on Thursday, telling reporters at a press briefing that he will “take personal risk” by pushing the spending package ahead. The speaker’s position has been threatened by some hard-line Republicans who have held out on passing additional foreign aid spending unless legislation is enacted to curb migration along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“My philosophy is you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may,” Johnson said when asked by reporters why he was willing to push the foreign spending bills amid the motion to vacate against him. “If I operated out of fear of a motion to vacate, I would never be able to do my job.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.