https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/u...-row-zznf9gsfb
US Republicans reject new funds for Ukraine amid Biden border row
Republicans ignored an appeal from President Biden to stop “playing chicken” with the war in Ukraine as they voted against a fresh spending package for Kyiv.
The party’s senators rejected a $106 billion funding bill, including $61 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, because it did not contain sweeping immigration reforms they want to balance foreign aid with domestic security. The vote on Wednesday night sent negotiators from both parties back to the drawing board, with Biden warning US funding for Ukraine would run out by the end of the year.
Biden had earlier said that American soldiers could be dragged into a war against Russia unless Republicans agreed to the new funding. He conceded that the US immigration system was “broken” in the face of record arrests of migrants but said that failing to reach an agreement before American cash for Kyiv runs out at the end of the year would “kneecap” Ukraine.
“This cannot wait,” Biden said in a hastily arranged White House address ahead of voting in the Senate. “Frankly, I think it’s stunning that we’ve gotten to this point in the first place — Republicans in Congress that are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for and abandon our global leadership, not just in Ukraine, but beyond that,” he said.
“If Putin takes Ukraine he won’t stop there. It’s important to see the long run here. He’s going to keep going … we’ll have something that we don’t seek and that we don’t have today: American troops fighting Russian troops.”
This would be inevitable if Russia went on to attack a Nato country, he said, given the alliance’s commitment to common defence. He added: “Make no mistake, today’s vote is going to be long remembered. History is going to judge harshly those who turned their back on freedom’s cause. We can’t let Putin win”…..