Ukraine is US priority, we hope to approve new aid before Christmas –House Speaker Johnson
Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, called aid to Ukraine "the top priority" of his country during a conversation with journalists in Sarasota, Florida, which was broadcast by the WFLA channel.
He is "confident and optimistic" that the US Congress will be able to allocate aid packages to Israel and Ukraine before Christmas, provided that lawmakers can tie it to the issue of the security of the American border.
"I think all that will come together in the coming days. I'm confident and optimistic that we'll be able to get that done – get it over the line," Johnson said.
He noted that there is a sense of urgency in helping Israel and Ukraine, and members of Congress are conducting many "thoughtful" negotiations.
"[Helping] Israel is a top priority for the United States, and Ukraine is another priority. Of course we can't allow Vladimir Putin to march through Europe and we understand the necessity of assisting there. We have said is that if there is to be additional assistance to Ukraine which most members of Congress believe is important we have to also work in changing our own border policy," the politician explained.
At the end of October 2023, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, requested $44 billion to support Ukraine.
According to an Ipsos poll conducted in mid-November, 41% of Americans support providing arms to Ukraine, and this is 10% more than support for providing arms to Israel.
