White House press secretary: 'Another aid package coming soon for Ukraine'

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States and its allies will continue to support Kiev in its conflict with Moscow. The official promised more aid to Ukraine soon, despite US lawmakers not including military assistance for Kiev in a short-term spending bill passed last week.

Jean-Pierre denied that Western support for Ukraine was waning. Speaking at a press conference, she asserted: “There is a very strong international coalition behind Ukraine… And if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin thinks he can outlast us, he is wrong. He is completely wrong.”

The White House press secretary also announced “another aid package will be available soon for Ukraine,” but did not provide details on the progress or specific content of the upcoming military assistance.

Her remarks came just two days after Congress passed a funding bill designed to keep the US government running beyond September and avoid a shutdown, but the bill did not include any aid to Kiev.

Jean-Pierre urged Congress to act quickly. “They don’t have to wait 45 days to get this done,” she said. But some US lawmakers are concerned about the actual use of the money sent to Ukraine and how the Biden administration plans to end the conflict.

“Our members have a lot of questions, particularly around the accountability provisions for what we want to see with the money that is sent out,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters.

He also called on the White House to schedule a briefing for lawmakers to outline a possible solution to the conflict. Meanwhile, the Pentagon warned that budget constraints could affect the US's ability to provide aid to Kiev and replenish its own arsenal. If funding requests are not met, the US Department of Defense will be forced to limit supplies to Ukraine.

In September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that Kiev could “lose the war” if it did not receive timely aid. Last Sunday, Ukrainian lawmaker Aleksey Goncharenko warned that Kiev had no chance of holding out without continued support from Washington, even suggesting that Ukraine itself join US wars abroad to secure more military support./.