NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he expects the United States to continue its support of Ukraine in its fight to repel invading Russian forces despite opposition from some Republican lawmakers who have cast doubt on Washington’s aid to Kyiv.
Speaking at a meeting of foreign ministers from the alliance’s 31 members, Stoltenberg said on November 28 that the allies have provided Ukraine with an unprecedented level of military support since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Live Briefing: Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL’s Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv’s counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL’s coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
That support has allowed Ukraine “to inflict heavy losses on Russian forces,” he said, “therefore, we must continue to support them.”
Commenting on whether U.S. support will continue despite a political impasse in Washington, Stoltenberg voiced confidence aid from the United States — which so far has topped $40 billion — will continue to flow.
“I am confident that the United States will continue to provide support because it is in the security interest of the United States to do so,” Stoltenberg said.
“This is also in line with what we have agreed upon. This is what all NATO allies confirmed time and time again at our summit in Vilnius, where all leaders were present: We will provide support and strengthen it,” he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden last month submitted to Congress a previously announced request for more than $105 billion in defense aid, which included $61.4 billion in aid to Ukraine and $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, but the measure remains blocked.
In comments reported by Politico, House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) on November 27 said he remains “confident and optimistic” Congress will be able to pass the aid for Israel and Ukraine before the holiday season.
Speaking at an event in Florida, Johnson said, “I think all of that will come together in the coming days. “I’m confident and optimistic that we’ll be able to get that done — get that over the line,” he said adding that, in Congress, there is “a sense of urgency in providing aid to both Ukraine and Israel.”
“Of course, we can’t allow [Russian President] Vladimir Putin to march through Europe, and we understand the necessity of assisting there,” he said.
Politico also reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York) plans to hold a vote on Biden’s request as early as December 4.
Stoltenberg also urged the rest of the allies to remain committed to continuing to deliver support, welcoming the recent announcement of military aid packages by Germany and the Netherlands worth 10 billion euros ($11 billion).
“The challenge we face now is that we need to continue this support,” Stoltenberg said, pointing to the fact that although the front line in Ukraine has not moved much, intense fighting has continued and military aid from NATO has helped give Kyiv the ability to launch deep strikes into Russian-controlled territory.
The European Council said on November 28 it would continue to support the Ukrainian military, announcing additional funding for training Ukrainian troops under the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine).
“The objective of today’s decision is to continue supporting the capacity building of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by EUMAM, based on Ukrainian needs and taking into account the increasing scope and complexity of the training curriculum,” the Council said in a news release.
The support will be provided through the European Peace Fund (EPF). The amount of funding will increase by 194 million euros ($213 million) to a total of 255 million euros.
To date, more than 34,000 soldiers have been trained by EUMAM Ukraine since the launch of the mission in October 2022.
