The US Senate continues discussions on passing a package of aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan and strengthening security on the southern border of the United States. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, told the Voice of America.
"Right now, Senate negotiators on both sides are working hard to approve another round of assistance to Ukraine by finalizing our supplemental national security package. We are getting closer every day, and there are still issues to be resolved. But one thing is for sure: we will continue to do so," he said.
In his speech in the Senate, Schumer reminded that the last package of defense aid to Ukraine worth $250 million was announced almost a month ago, but due to the lack of funding approved by Congress, the US government could not send any support to Kyiv.
According to him, since the beginning of the war, Putin made a bet that sooner or later the United States will surrender. "They doubt the West's resolve. They doubt American strength. The Senate must make sure that Putin regrets the day he questioned America's resolve... We must help our friends who are fighting for their survival. We need to complete the work on the add-on. We haven't gotten there yet, but we will keep working," he said.
Meanwhile, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized President Joe Biden in his speech for not doing enough to give the US friends an advantage in confronting Putin's aggression and for not investing enough in rebuilding the US military.
"But I have never been misled about why America supported Ukraine's struggle. It was never about charity. It's in the direct interest of the United States to make sure that authoritarians don't feel entitled to rewrite borders by force. It's in our interest to help reduce the size of a major adversary's army without sacrificing American lives," McConnell said.
