US funding for Ukraine: House Speaker wants to meet with Biden

House Speaker Mike Johnson wants a personal meeting with US President Joe Biden before continuing work on the project to provide funding for Ukraine and Israel.

Source: NBC, citing a source close to Johnson, as quoted by European Pravda Pravda

Details: According to the channel's source, Johnson and his staff have requested a meeting with Biden through senior White House officials several times over the past two months.

The most recent request came just over a week ago, a few days before the Senate passed a US$95 billion bipartisan national security package and House Republicans impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Johnson's request for a meeting was not necessarily about the Senate's version of the additional aid, but rather about the overall path forward for the legislative package, NBC added.

At the same time, a White House official pointed to the speaker's inconsistency and advised Johnson to end the "negotiations he is having with himself" and stop putting off national security needs in the name of politics. 

"That body language says: ‘I know I’m in a tough spot. Please bail me out'," a Democratic source said.

Biden met with Johnson and other congressional leaders less than a month ago to discuss a bipartisan immigration deal that would unlock aid to Ukraine. Johnson called the meeting "productive" at the time.

The Senate-approved package includes US$61 billion for Ukraine to support its efforts to counter Russian aggression, US$14 billion for Israel in its war against Hamas, and another US$4.83 billion to support partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan and to deter Chinese aggression.

It is not yet known whether Republicans in the House of Representatives will agree to support the bill after it is approved by the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson has criticised the text.

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