NATO chief Stoltenberg arrives in USA to speak to Trump's allies to unlock aid to Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived on a visit to Washington, where he already met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the President's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, he reported on X.

"Great to be back in Washington, D.C. as we prepare for the NATO summit here in July. We will take important decisions on support to Ukraine, further reinforcing NATO deterrence and defense, and our response to greater geopolitical competition," he wrote.

Citing the words of the head of the Alliance, Politico journalists write that today, Stoltenberg should visit the US Congress and meet with the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, the leader of the Democratic minority in the House Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Republican minority in the Senate Mitch McConnell and other representatives of both parties.

On Wednesday, he will deliver a speech at the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, which is closely associated with the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.

The visit will take place against the background of the delay in the approval of additional funding for Ukraine, Politico notes. Trump and his allies are pressuring Republicans to reject the aid package until "everything is done" on US-Mexico border security.

Later this week, the NATO Secretary General will travel to the Lockheed Martin missile plant in Alabama, where he is likely to reiterate President Joe Biden's argument that jobs in the American defense complex are directly dependent on US aid to Kyiv.

On January 12, 2024, the representative of the White House, John Kirby, said that the United States had stopped military aid to Ukraine, so Congress should approve a new package to support Kyiv.

President Joe Biden said that the inaction of Congress endangers the security of the United States and NATO, and he also called for an urgent resolution of the border and the approval of aid to Ukraine.

Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said that US lawmakers are opposing Vladimir Putin , but "the status quo [in Ukraine] cannot be maintained."