'Stop holding up aid to Ukraine', David Cameron to warn US politicians on Washington DC trip
8 April 2024, 05:23
David Cameron is travelling to the US to warn politicians against delaying an aid package to Ukraine.
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Britain's Foreign Secretary will tell Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, to stop his colleagues from blocking $95 billion (£75 billion) in military aid to the war-torn country.
On his visit to Washington DC, Lord Cameron will say that the UK and the EU have both put forward their aid for Ukraine for this year - and urge the US to follow suit.
The UK has set aside £2.5 billion for aid to Ukraine to support it in its war against the Russian invaders, while the EU has agreed about £43 billion.
Lord Cameron wrote in a joint article with his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne that Ukraine's other allies must step up with support.
Is America's support for Ukraine's war on the decline?
The two wrote: "We are both absolutely clear - Ukraine must win this war. If Ukraine loses, we all lose. The costs of failing to support Ukraine now will be far greater than the costs of repelling Putin.
"But, as discussed during the Paris Conference in February, we must do even more to ensure we defeat Russia. The world is watching - and will judge us if we fail."
Signalling the need for further international support for Ukraine, they added: "It is not for France and Britain alone to solve these challenges.
"But, together, we can rally others to join us in overcoming them."
The article marks 120 years of the entente cordiale, a series of agreements between France and Britain which paved the way for improved cross-Channel relations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Sunday that his country will lose the war if further US funding is not approved.
In his previous visit to Washington, Lord Cameron likened those blocking US aid to Ukraine to people who appeased Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
His remarks were condemned by pro-Trump Republican Congress member Marjorie Taylor Greene, who told him to "kiss my a**".
Lord Cameron is also expected to meet Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and the pair are likely to discuss the conflict in Gaza.
The UK and the US have hardened their approach towards Israel in recent days after the killing of seven aid workers, including three Britons, by the Israel Defence Forces on April 1.
Lord Cameron on Sunday warned that the UK's support for Israel was "not unconditional" in response to the air strikes, and previously called for a full and transparent investigation to follow the IDF's initial report into the incident.
