Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for additional U.S. funding and support for the Ukrainian people during a review of the fiscal year 2023 State Department budget request.
Blinken also said the U.S. should urge other nations to also support Ukraine, according to a recording of the April 26 Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
“For all the suffering that they've endured, for all the carnage that Russia's brutal invasion continues to inflict, Ukraine was and will continue to be a free and independent country,” Blinken said, according to an ABC News report.
Blinken said the Ukrainians won the battle for Kyiv during his testimony, ABC News reported. He also called for U.S. aid to help the Ukrainian people defend their territory to the east and the south of their capital.
Both Republicans and Democrats expressed support during the hearing for providing further aid to Ukraine, Reuters reported. The House and Senate have ruled out sending American or NATO troops to Ukraine but have provided extensive assistance to Ukraine through weapons supply and arms transport.
Though most of his testimony centered around Ukraine and Russia, Blinken discussed other topics including the international power competition with China, ending fighting in Yemen and Ethiopia, fighting infectious diseases and preventing climate change, according to a printed copy of Blinken’s testimony.
The Senate is set to vote on a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine, Reuters reported. The aid passed the House of Representatives previously with bipartisan support, before being temporarily held up by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
