WASHINGTON, April 19 ― Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday he and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy discussed in a phone call Ukraine's need for weapons as well as increasing sanctions pressure on Russia.
On Twitter, Zelensky said he thanked McCarthy for bipartisan support in Congress for Ukraine as well as Ukraine's defence needs. “Outlined the situation at the front & Ukraine's urgent defense needs in armored vehicles, artillery, air defense & aircraft,” Zelensky's tweet said.
He said they also discussed enhancing sanctions pressure on Russia, including in oil and gas.
A spokesman for McCarthy, the highest-ranking Republican in Washington, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
With strong support from both President Joe Biden's Democrats and McCarthy's fellow Republicans, Congress has approved billions of dollars of humanitarian, economic and defence aid for Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, including a US$45 billion (RM200 billion) aid package approved in December.
However, some hard-right Republicans have questioned the aid, saying federal funds should be spent on domestic needs or devoted to competition with rising power China.
McCarthy's position has been that he backs Ukraine but House Republicans, who took control of the chamber in January, will not provide “a blank check” for US assistance to Kyiv. ― Reuters
