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President Joe Biden apologized to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy for Congress’s delay in military aid.
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Conservative Republicans’ resistance caused the delay in the $61 billion aid package.
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Russian forces made battlefield gains while the military aid was held up.
US President Joe Biden publicly apologized to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the prolonged congressional delay in military aid while Russian forces made significant advances on the battlefield, the Associated Press reported.
The two leaders were in Paris to attend ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
“I apologize for those weeks of not knowing what’s going to happen in terms of funding,” Biden told Zelenskyy.
The $61 billion military aid package that the US Congress finally passed in April had been delayed for six months, largely due to resistance from conservative Republican lawmakers.
“We’re still in. Completely. Thoroughly,” Biden assured his Ukrainian counterpart.
Zelenskyy said, “It’s very important that in this unity, the United States of America, all American people stay with Ukraine like it was during World War II.”
Before the D-Day landings anniversary, French President Emmanuel Macron also announced increased military aid to Ukraine, including providing Mirage combat aircraft and training for Ukrainian troops.
“The delay in aid was an inexcusable pause”
Last month, retired US Air Force Col. and military analyst Cedric Leighton told CNN that the stalled US aid could arrive in Ukraine too late to ward off Russian advances.
“The delay in aid was, frankly, an inexcusable pause in the ability of the Ukrainians to fend off Russian advances,” said Leighton.
An American volunteer fighting in Ukraine told Business Insider’s Sinéad Baker that Ukrainian forces were “crushing” in the battle of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine until a shortage of shells meant Russian artillery could outfire them roughly 20 times over.
Ukraine withdrew from the town in February, giving Russia its first major victory in months.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is currently fending off a significant Russian offensive in its eastern regions, particularly around Kharkiv and Donetsk.
Russian forces are still making progress along the eastern front, and are set to take the village of Ivanivske within days, Kyiv Independent journalist Asami Terajima told Business Insider.
Political polarization and the upcoming US election in November could complicate the passage of further aid.
Read the original article on Business Insider
