Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson told Punchbowl News that he is not in favour of further financial aid from the US budget for Ukraine.
“I don’t have an appetite for further Ukraine funding, and I hope it’s not necessary,” said Johnson, who represents the state of Louisiana in the lower house of Congress. Apart from that, he said that in case of Donald Trump, the Republican Party candidate, wins the November elections, then the Ukraine-Russia conflict would be over.
“If President Trump wins, I believe that he actually can bring that conflict to a close. I really do. I think he’ll call (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that this is enough,” Johnson said, adding that the conflict has exhausted many countries and all are seeking a ceasefire.
“And I think everybody around the world is weary of this, and they want it to be resolved,” he said, while expressing concerns about resolving the conflict if Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris wins.
“So whatever the terms are, I’m not sure, but I think if Kamala Harris is president, I don’t think it ends, and that’s a desperate and dangerous scenario,” he emphasised.
He submitted a package of bills for a vote in the House of Representatives earlier this year to provide new military and financial aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Johnson contributed to the delay in aid to Ukraine last autumn by refusing to hold a vote on various versions of a $61 billion foreign aid bill, but eventually reached an agreement to pass the bill.
The allocation of aid came after months of fierce debate in Washington over whether to continue providing major financial aid to Kyiv. As the US election nears, the stakes for further aid to Ukraine are getting higher.
