White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a trip to Kyiv on Wednesday that a major U.S. aid package that has been blocked by Republicans for months would “get to Ukraine” and vowed that Washington’s support would continue.
A U.S. aid package for Ukraine has been stuck in Congress since late last year, piling more pressure on already outgunned Ukrainian troops fighting a better-armed and larger foe two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
“From our perspective we are confident we will get this done. We will get this aid to Ukraine,” Mr. Sullivan said in a joint press conference with Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
Mr. Sullivan gave no timeline for the arrival of the aid, but assured there was no need to talk about a “plan B,” appearing to reject the idea the aid could be provided in the form of a loan.
“I am confident that we will achieve plan A. We will get a strong bipartisan vote in the House for an assistance package for Ukraine, and we will get that money out the door as we should,” he said, adding that the process had “already taken too long.”
“We are working to get it done as soon as possible, and President Biden is working this on a daily basis to try to deliver this package to the House,” he added.
Mr. Yermak praised the United States for having found the opportunity to provide an additional $300 million defense support package to Ukraine, which includes ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles, armor-piercing weapons, and other critical supplies that are urgently needed on the front lines.
“We are rushing those supplies to you as we speak,” Mr. Sullivan said.
“We believe you will prevail. We believe that you will build a brighter future for the Ukrainian people, a stronger democracy, a resilient, secure country that can repel future aggression. And we’re going to be your partner in that every step of the way.”
During their meeting, Mr. Yermak and Mr. Sullivan also discussed preparations for the NATO Summit in Washington and an upcoming Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.
Ukraine does not plan to invite Russia to that summit, which aims to build on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s vision of “peace,” that is, to build a worldwide coalition against the Russian Federation with a focus on getting the global south on board.
“It is important for us to show that the whole world is against Russia’s aggression, and the whole world is for a just peace,” Mr. Zelensky said in January after Switzerland agreed to hold the meeting.
Mr. Zelensky’s model of peace includes a full withdrawal of Russian troops—a condition the Kremlin considers a non-starter.
“Jake personally has been supporting our idea from the very beginning,” Mr. Yermak said, adding that the number of countries that will be attending the summit is growing.
Mr. Yermak told reporters that he believed China—Russia’s most powerful ally—could take part in the summit, given that a Chinese envoy toured European capitals this month, including Kyiv and Moscow.
Russian troops currently occupy more than a sixth of Ukraine’s territory and are on the offensive again after a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive last year.
Moscow has been inching forward in the east, as Ukrainian troops face shortages of ammunition, manpower, and question marks over the depth and strength of their defensive fortifications.
Reuters contributed to this report.
