National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday the U.S. would support Ukraine in its war against Russia for “as long as it takes,” as the Biden administration faces calls from Republican lawmakers to provide a timeline for the end of American support to Kyiv.
“We don’t know, we would like to see it end now,” Kirby said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “As [President Biden] has said … we’re going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and he means that. As long as it takes.”
Kirby’s comments come as some Republican lawmakers have pressured the Biden administration to provide Congress with a timeline on when it plans to cease its support of Ukraine.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has led a charge recently for the Biden administration to provide more transparency on U.S. spending on Ukraine, arguing last week that the president must provide a plan for ending the conflict.
“Before President Biden spends another taxpayer dollar in Ukraine, he must lay out a clear plan for ending the conflict in a way that advances our national security interests,” Vance said in a statement. “No more blank checks. It is past time for the President to tell the American people how this comes to an end.”
Kirby on Sunday pushed back against the idea that the U.S. had provided Ukraine with a “blank check.”
“First of all, there’s been no blank checks,” Kirby said just before the war’s one-year anniversary, which will be marked on Friday. “Every single item that we have sent into Ukraine has been done in full consultation with the Congress and we have really enjoyed terrific bipartisan support … we fully expect that that will continue.”
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the U.S. has sent more than $113 billion in support to Kyiv.