David Cameron will urge Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, to stop his Republican colleagues from continuing to block support. Photo: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP
Lord Cameron will warn that the US is jeopardizing Western security by delaying a new aid package for Ukraine when he visits Washington next week.
During the face-to-face meeting, the Foreign Secretary will urge Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to stop his Republican colleagues from continuing to block support.
Earlier this year, the UK announced another £2.5 billion would be pledged in aid Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion, while the European Union has pledged a further €50bn (£43bn).
But Joe Biden's $95bn (£75bn) bill, which includes security aid for Ukraine, is being blocked by the US president's Republican opponents in the House of Representatives, half of the US Congress.
Lord Cameron and Stephane Séjournet, his French counterpart, called for increased support for Ukraine in an article in the Telegraph, dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the Entente alliance between the countries.
They wrote: “It is absolutely clear to both of us that Ukraine must win this war. If Ukraine loses, we all lose. The cost of failing to support Ukraine now will be much higher than the cost of fighting back against Putin. But, as discussed at the Paris Conference in February, we must do more to defeat Russia. The world is watching us and will judge us if we fail.”
They said that “not only France and the UK can solve these problems” and “we can bring others together to join us in overcoming them.”
Foreign Office sources said that during his visit to the US, Lord Cameron will repeat a message posted on social media last week in which he said: “The UK has committed its money to Ukraine this year.” It's the same with the European Union. America must do this. This is blocked in Congress.
“Speaker Johnson can get this done in Congress. I'm going to meet with him next week and say we need this money, Ukraine needs this money. What's at stake in Ukraine is American security, European security, British security, and they need our help.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Sunday that his country will lose unless Congress passes a military aid package.< /p>
Mr. Zelensky said: “It is necessary to specifically tell Congress that if Congress does not help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war. If Ukraine loses the war, other states will also be attacked.”
Kyiv's forces are lagging behind after a large-scale offensive last year failed to produce a major breakthrough.
On his previous trip to Washington, Lord Cameron compared those blocking aid to Hitler's appeasers in the 1930s, prompting Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of Congress who supports Donald Trump, to tell him to “kiss my ass.”
The message could spark new tensions with the Republican Party. Trump, skeptical of aid to Ukraine, is the party's presidential candidate and could return to the White House by January next year.
During his trip, Lord Cameron will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They are also expected to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The UK and US governments have not ruled out suspending arms exports to Israel as they try to get more aid trucks into Gaza.
Israel confirmed last week that it was behind an “inadvertent” rocket attack on the strip Gaza, in which seven aid workers, including three Britons, were killed.
Lord Cameron wrote in The Sunday Times that Britain's support for Israel was not “unconditional” and called for More aid was delivered to the territory.
However, Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, said people were demanding that Israel be held to higher standards than other countries, in an interview with Sky News: “Of course it is right that we try to hold Israel to high standards, but I I just think that some people take some pleasure in the way they are promoting this cause. against Israel.”
Conservative MPs noted that Lord Cameron had at times been more willing to publicly pressure Israel to change its actions in the Gaza Strip than Rishi Sunak and other Cabinet ministers.
Foreign Office sources and Downing Street has rejected any suggestion of a rift between the Foreign Secretary and Number 10 over the arms export freeze.
The government is legally obligated to stop selling arms to a country that does not demonstrate adherence to international humanitarian law. The Foreign Office's assessment of whether these thresholds were met by Israel's actions late last year and early this year is with Lord Cameron, but he has not yet decided whether a suspension is necessary.
On Sunday, Israel announced that it had withdrawn most of its ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip, leaving only one brigade in the enclave.
Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, said the troops were withdrawing to prepare for upcoming operations, including in the southern city of Rafah.
He added: “The troops are being withdrawn and preparing for their next mission. We have seen examples of such missions in Operation Shifa, as well as in their upcoming mission in the Rafah area.”
On Monday, France will become the first non-Commonwealth country to take part in the changing of the guard. ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Members of the Republican Guard of the Gendarmerie will join 40 members of the Scots Guards in a parade to mark the anniversary of the Concord.
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