US House Speaker: President Biden must set clear goals in Ukraine conflict

The United States must secure its own borders before it can secure the borders of any other country, Chairman Johnson said in a CBS interview on January 7. This reflects the main focus of House Republicans’ opposition to the comprehensive aid package that President Biden pushed through in late October, which included more than $60 billion for Kiev.

Republicans at the time were adamant about opposing support for the aid package, stressing the need to prioritize tighter border controls with neighboring Mexico. House Speaker Johnson explained that blocking the bill last year was a “message to the Republican White House that they are not being clear with the American people. What is the outcome in Ukraine? What is our strategy? What is the objective? How do we properly monitor this precious taxpayer money?” Johnson stressed.

To send more money to Ukraine, the US would essentially have to borrow money from elsewhere, Johnson said, noting that the federal debt has reached $34 trillion. “What we’re saying is, let’s do this wisely… We need accountability for the people who are funding it,” the US politician stressed, adding that “the White House has not yet provided an answer.”
Shalanda Young, director of the US Office of Management and Budget, recently admitted that the aid situation for Ukraine is extremely “dire”. She warned that without congressional support for additional funding, the US may have to stop aid altogether.

According to Moscow's estimates, Kiev has received more than $200 billion in international aid since the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated in early 2022. Washington provided Kiev with the latest $250 million arms package in late December. Russia asserts that Western military aid does not help turn the tide of the war, but only prolongs the fighting and increases casualties, while making Kiev's sponsors directly involved in the conflict.