House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., rejected a suggestion by a Russian news agency reporter in Jerusalem that he does not support aid to Ukraine, pledging continued American backing for Kyiv and demanding that Moscow withdraw its troops from the country, The Hill reported on Monday.
“I vote for aid for Ukraine; I fully support aid for Ukraine,” McCarthy said at a news conference. “I do not support what your country has done to Ukraine. I do not support your killing of the children either. You should pull out, and I don’t think it’s right,” the speaker said. “We will continue to support, and I think the rest of the world sees it just as it is.”
McCarthy has previously called for scrutiny of aid to Ukraine, saying following the midterm elections last year that there would be no “blank check” to Kyiv in a House GOP majority.
The speaker’s remarks came as the GOP is wanting to cut discretionary spending by $130 billion next year and by $4.8 trillion over a decade as part of an argument with Democrats over raising the U.S. debt ceiling.
The U.S. has given $35 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February, 2022, according to the State Department.
