Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday that “the fate of millions of people” and “thousands of lives” depends on whether the Republican allows a vote on $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
“This is not some political skirmish that (only) matters on the American political scene. Mr Johnson’s failure to make a positive decision will cost thousands of lives. He takes personal responsibility for that,” Tusk told reporters.
Tusk made the comment after he and Polish President Andrzej Duda met at the White House with U.S. President Joe Biden, who told them that U.S. support for Poland is ironclad amid concerns in Europe about Russia.
Biden and the Polish leaders urged Johnson to move ahead with a vote on an aid package that passed the Senate, but that the House Republican leader has held up. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican party’s 2024 presidential nomination, opposes aid to Kyiv.
Tusk made clear what he feels are the stakes for Ukraine in its battle against Russian invaders.
“He must be aware … that the fate of millions of people depends on his individual decisions, and thousands of lives in Ukraine today and tomorrow depend on his decisions,” Tusk said of Johnson.
Johnson’s office declined comment. Earlier, after Johnson met Duda, his office issued a statement that did not address the Ukraine funding impasse.
“In an increasingly dangerous world with growing threats, America must remain united with our friends against those who threaten our security,” Johnson said.
Biden and the Poland leaders took stock of the security situation in Europe and what recent Russian territorial gains in Ukraine might mean for the region.
Duda brought up with Biden his campaign for NATO allies to increase their defense spending from 2% of GDP to 3% in response to what he called “the full-scale war launched by Russia right beyond NATO’s eastern border.”
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-meet-polands-leaders-nato-funding-against-russia-2024-03-12/