Biden and Johnson held "intense" talks on Ukraine: what is known about the meeting in the Oval Office
Kyiv • UNN
Biden and Republican Senator Ron Johnson held an intensive meeting at the White House to discuss government funding and continued military assistance to Ukraine before the deadline for passing a spending bill.
U.S. President Joe Biden and leading Democrats and Republicans in Congress met for talks in the Oval Office of the White House. The details of the conversation were reported by Reuters, UNN reports .
Details
According to the newspaper, politicians made progress in avoiding a government shutdown at the end of the week, but did not agree on a weapons package to help Ukraine fight Russia.
Before the meeting, Biden emphasized that funding for Ukraine is becoming more important every day:
I believe that the consequences of inaction are terrible.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Chuck Schumer said that it was one of the most intense meetings he had ever participated in. Democrats McConnell, Harris, and Jeffries tried to convince Johnson to agree to approve funding for Ukraine.
It's in his hands... We told him how important it is. It was passionate.
Johnson also called the talks "frank and honest" and noted that he was primarily concerned about the issue of migration along the southern US border with Mexico, which he said he had returned to on several occasions, including during a one-on-one meeting with Biden.
Biden said he believes a solution to fund the government can be reached before Friday's deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, which he said would harm the US economy.
Optional
In a statement released after the meeting, the White House said that Biden "discussed how Ukraine has lost ground on the battlefield in recent weeks and is forced to consume ammunition and supplies due to congressional inaction.
Context
The spending bill has been delayed due to demands from ultra-conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives who want spending cuts and political positions injected into how dollars are spent. A group of extreme right-wing Republicans have pushed the government to the brink of a shutdown or partial shutdown three times in the past six months.
In recent days, Schumer and Johnson have traded accusations about who is to blame for the impasse. On Monday, Schumer told reporters that "Democrats are doing everything they can to avoid a shutdown.
The first batch of government funding, which includes money for agencies overseeing agriculture and transportation, will expire on Friday at midnight, and funding for some agencies, including the Pentagon and State Department, will end on March 8.
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The government spending package is separate from the national security assistance bill, which includes funding for Ukraine and Israel.
The House is under pressure to pass a $95 billion national security package that boosts aid to Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region (Ecuador - ed.). The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 70 to 29 earlier this month, but Johnson has resisted bringing the aid bill to the House floor for a vote.
