BREAKING NEWS Joe Biden raises the specter of American troops having to fight Russians in Europe if Congress stands by and allows Ukraine to fall

• Biden has asked Congress for more than $100 billion to fund several conflicts 
• He accused Republicans of ‘kneecapping’ Ukrainian troops with their delays 

President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned that American troops could have to fight Russian troops if Congress prevents further and military aid being sent to Ukraine. 

He demanded that lawmakers approve his request for tens of billions in military and economic assistance. 

Republicans have said they are not willing to countenance another major package of aid unless the administration takes action on the southern border.

Biden said Republicans were handing Russian President Vladimir Putin a gift. 

‘This cannot wait,’ he said in a televised address. 

‘Congress needs to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday resources as simple as that, frankly.’

President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned that American troops could have to fight Russian troops if Congress prevents further and military aid being sent to Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers fire towards Russian targets in Avdiivka, Ukraine, December 1

His administration is warning of dire consequences for Kyiv if lawmakers don’t act to keep support flowing and European allies are increasingly alarmed at the consequences for democracy in their backyard.

Biden reeled off the abuses committed by Putin and his troops in Ukraine and warned that Russia would not be intent stopping there. 

‘It’s important to see the long run here. He’s gonna keep going. He’s made that pretty clear,’ he said.

‘If Putin attacks a NATO ally, if he keeps going and then he attacks a NATO ally, when we’ve committed as a NATO member to defend every inch of NATO territory, then we’ll have something that we don’t seek and that we don’t have today: American troops fighting Russian troops.’

He accused Republicans of holding aid ‘hostage’ over the border and of being willing to ‘kneecap’ Ukrainian forces on the battlefield 

‘Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for,’ he said, adding that any delay in sending aid would strengthen the Russian president’s position.

But he hinted that he was ready to do a deal with Republicans, even if they would have to accept they were not going to get everything they wanted.

‘This has to be a negotiation,’ he said.

Biden’s speech came soon after he held a video call with leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, who have all backed Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy walks down the White House colonnade to the Oval Office with Biden in September

Speaker Mike Johnson promised no funding for Ukraine would pass the House without ‘transformative’ border security provisions – as immigration talks in the Democratic-led Senate grind to a halt

Ukrainian servicemen of the 42nd Mechanised Brigade dig trenches during a field military exercise in the Donetsk region on December 6

Biden has asked Congress for more than $100 billion to fund conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, as well as other matters of national security. However, Republicans on Capitol Hill have resisted the request, some insisting that Biden first take measures to secure the nation’s southern border. 

The White House has warned repeatedly of the consequences of failing to back Ukraine.

In a blunt letter sent to Congress on Monday, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young wrote: ‘We are out of money to support Ukraine in this fight. This isn’t a next year problem. The time to help a democratic Ukraine fight against Russian aggression is right now. 

‘It is time for Congress to act.’ 

However, Republican leaders quickly dug in.

Speaker Mike Johnson promised there would be no funding for Ukraine without ‘transformative’ border security provisions. 

‘Ukraine funding is dependent upon enactment of transformative change to our nation’s border security laws,’ he wrote in a letter to the White House Tuesday.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron is due to arrive in Washington D.C. Wednesday as part of an effort to persuade U.S. lawmakers of the importance of resisting Russian aggression.

‘The UK and the US are deeply bound by a shared mission to defend the values that provide security and prosperity for us all,’ he said.

‘That is why we remain unwavering in our support of Ukraine. If we allow Putin’s aggression to succeed, it will embolden those who challenge democracy and threaten our way of life. We cannot let them prevail.’

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