Biden pleads for break in impasse on US aid to Ukraine

US President says he could make 'significant' compromises on the border but urged Republicans to put aside 'petty, partisan, angry politics'

'This cannot wait,' President Joe Biden said from the White House. EPA

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday pressed congressional Republicans to break an impasse on funding for Kyiv as Russia continues its war against Ukraine.

“If [Russian President Vladimir] Putin takes Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” Mr Biden said in remarks from the White House.

He predicted that Mr Putin could attack a Nato ally, forcing a scenario in which “we’ll have American troops fighting Russian troops”.

“We can’t let Putin win,” he said.

The US is one of Ukraine's biggest backers, having sent billions in aid and military equipment.

However, Republicans have begun to question the importance of such assistance, trying to steer the conversation towards addressing concerns on the southern border and asylum seekers in US cities.

“I am willing to make significant compromises on the border,” Mr Biden said on Wednesday, noting that it should be a “negotiation”.

But he added: “This cannot wait. Petty, partisan, angry politics can’t get in the way of our responsibility as a leading nation in the world. And literally, the entire world is watching.”

He also met G7 leaders via video link on Wednesday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy making an appearance.

Mr Zelenskyy had been scheduled to speak to the US Congress on Tuesday but his virtual address was cancelled at the last minute due to an unexplained emergency.

"Russia believes that America and Europe will show weakness and will not maintain support for Ukraine at the proper level. Putin believes that the free world will not fully enforce its own sanctions," the Ukrainain President said, according to his website.

"The free world vitally needs to maintain its consolidation, maintain interaction, maintain support for those whose freedom is being attacked."

A statement by G7 leaders issued after the meeting announced that member states would ban imports of Russian diamonds as part of its expansion of limits on Moscow's revenue from energy. The leaders also said they would also "update" measures against third-country actors who are assisting Russia in its efforts in Ukraine.

Mr Biden said in a post on X that he had discussed “our unwavering support for Ukraine” in the meeting.

The White House also announced a new $175 million package of weapons and equipment for Ukraine.

“Continued support allows for a robust defence of freedom,” Mr Zelenskyy said on X.

The White House sent a $105 billion emergency request for funds for Israel and Ukraine in October, but Congress has only addressed financial support for Israel.

"The Russians have made it very clear that they're not just going to sit in camp all winter that they want to go on the offensive and they've got the advantage of manpower that they can throw at this stuff. And so we got to make sure that's why the President was so striking today. we've got to make sure that Ukraine continues to get the support that they need going into these cold winter months"

Biden administration officials have asserted that US funds to support Ukraine's defence against Russian aggression are essential for national security as well as global goals for democracy – but that funding will run out in a matter of weeks.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday said Russian has "the advantage of manpower" and the US has "to make sure the Ukraine continues to get the support that they need going into these cold winter months".

“I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year, we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stocks,” White House director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young said in a letter on Monday.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin in October argued that “without our support, Putin will be successful”.

“If we pull the rug out from under them now, Putin will only get stronger and he will be successful in doing what he wants to do,” he said during a Senate hearing.