As Congress weighs Ukraine aid, Biden reassures G7, NATO leaders of U.S. commitment

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden convened a call with top U.S. allies Tuesday to stress the United States commitment to aiding Ukraine as hard-line House Republicans push back on further support for that embattled nation.

Biden spoke with the leaders of the G7 countries, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Commission and the European Council to coordinate support for Ukraine.

“The leaders agreed that [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin has made a strategic miscalculation in invading Ukraine and pointed to the stark Russian losses on the battlefield and loss of capability as evidence of that,” according to a readout from the U.K. of the call, which also included leaders of Poland and Romania.

“They underlined that Ukraine and the Western alliance are both stronger and more united than they were before Putin‘s full-scale invasion,” the readout said.

Biden’s call came as he tries to push funding for Ukraine through Congress.

Despite bipartisan support in the Senate, a handful of hard-line Republicans in the House have rejected any additional aid.

On Saturday, Biden signed a stopgap funding measure passed by Congress to avoid a shutdown of the federal government. The measure notably lacked aid to Ukraine.

Biden on Sunday said expected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to “keep his commitment to secure passage and support needed” to fund Ukraine’s defense.

McCarthy on Monday denied there was a secret side agreement between him and the Democratic president to vote for Ukraine funding later in exchange for getting the Senate to approve the short-term measure and have Biden sign it.

Later Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., took steps to try to oust McCarthy from his position as speaker, saying he does not represent the interests of the Republican conference, including on the issue of Ukraine funding.

Gaetz asked Monday, “What was the secret side deal on Ukraine?”