Nancy Pelosi assures US Congress will provide Ukraine with economic assistance

The US and many other nations have looked to supply Ukraine with arms and funding as it fends off Russian aggression in the ongoing crisis. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged that Congress is ready to approve as much emergency funding for Ukraine as necessary.

Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol this week that Congress is prepared to authorize as much economic assistance for Ukraine as necessary as Russian dictator Vladimir Putin continues to attempt to take control of Kyiv. This comes as the Biden administration has requested $6.4 billion in new spending to bolster Ukraine’s military defenses and tackle the growing humanitarian crisis.

“We’ll have to see what the need is and whatever it is, we’ll support it,” said Pelosi. “We’ll see what the president sends down.”

The administration’s request would allocate around $3.5 billion in new military spending and an additional $2.9 billion for the State Department, which includes the US Agency for International Development, to provide assistance to Ukrainian refugees.

Some lawmakers want to combine the emergency spending bill in a larger proposal to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year that will end on October 1. Government funding is set to expire on March 11, and those in support of the plan see it as a way to boost the larger bill and prevent a government shutdown.

Pelosi did not commit to a timeframe when it came to authorizing emergency spending. Pelosi said that it will depend on President Joe Biden and what he is expected to say in his State of the Union address.

Pelosi touched on the speculations regarding Putin’s behavior Tuesday, with the Russian leader suspected to be ill or suffering from the after-effects of COVID-19 or could simply be a “raging bully.” In her appearance on MSNBC, Pelosi said she met with world leaders who have also met Putin, who seem to “take it at face value the evil he is putting forth” regarding the Ukraine invasion.

The Democratic House Speaker added that the Ukrainian people are paying the price for Putin’s behavior, especially regarding the accusations the Russian leader has made on Kyiv.