White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine
The White House on Friday denied holding back security assistance from Ukraine hours after a Politico article said that officials had paused a package including lethal assistance worth up to $100 million, The Hill reported.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement Friday afternoon calling the idea that the White House has held back security assistance to Ukraine “nonsense.”
Psaki cited a $150 million aid package announced by the Defense Department last week and pointed to President Biden’s public support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression ahead of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
“We have now provided the entire amount appropriated by Congress through the Ukraine security assistance initiative,” Psaki said.
“We have also prepared contingency funds in the event of a further Russian incursion into Ukraine. As President Biden told President Putin directly, we will stand unwavering in support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Politico, citing four anonymous sources, reported on Friday that the White House temporarily froze a military assistance package to Ukraine that was meant as a response to Russian troop buildup on the border with Ukraine earlier this year.
The package was reportedly put together but halted when Russia said it would draw down troops on the border with Ukraine, the report said.
The decision by the Biden administration to halt the package was first reported by The Washington Post earlier this week, but Politico’s report included further details, including saying that the National Security Council was the source of the decision to halt the funds.