Sec Austin assures Ukraine of US support over phone call

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Oct 2023 18:47
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After Congress passed stop-gap legislation omitting funds to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin assured Ukraine of the US' support in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, Sept.19, 2023 (AP)

In a phone conversation on Sunday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III reiterated Washington's unwavering support for Ukraine to Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov, Sputnik reported citing a release by the DoD.

The call aimed to address Ukrainian concerns over the omitted funds for Ukraine in the stopgap spending legislation which was passed as a compromise in Congress to delay government shutdown.

“Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone yesterday with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov to reiterate US support for Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression and discuss security assistance priorities,” the release stated.

Despite bipartisan support in the Senate, the stopgap spending bill, approved just before the Saturday deadline to avert a government shutdown, did not allocate additional funds for Ukraine to appease House Republicans.

Yesterday, the White House announced that President Joe Biden signed a temporary spending bill, set only to last 45 days, which had passed by Congress to ensure ongoing government funding until November 17.

"On Saturday, September 30, 2023, the President signed into law: H.R. 5860, which provides fiscal year appropriations to Federal agencies through November 17, 2023, for continuing projects of the Federal Government and extends several expiring authorities," the White House said.

The bill was passed by Congress just hours before it was signed. The bipartisan vote recorded 88 ayes to nine nays at the Senate. Those who reportedly voted against include Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, Ted Cruz, Bill Hagerty, Mike Lee, Roger Marshall, Rand Paul, Eric Schmitt, and J.D. Vance.

If funding measures had not gone into effect before October 1, federal agencies would have been forced to halt 'nonessential' work and paychecks until the shutdown is lifted, which also goes for the Small Business Administration, which is responsible for processing new business loans for small businesses.