The US is risking the West’s security by holding up aid to Ukraine, David Cameron is to warn in a visit to Washington DC.
The UK foreign secretary will tell Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, to stop his colleagues from continuing to block a $95 billion package in a face-to-face meeting.
According to the Telegraph newspaper, Mr Cameron will say the UK and the EU have put forward their money for Ukraine over the next year, as he urges America to follow suit.
US president Joe Biden’s aid package would provide extra military aid to Ukraine.
The UK has pledged £2.5 billion to help Kyiv as it fights off the Russian invasion, while the EU will give €50 billion.
In a Telegraph opinion piece, Mr Cameron and his French counterpart, Stephane Sejourne, issued a joint rallying cry for Ukraine’s other allies to stump up further funding.
The article marks 120 years of the entente cordiale, a series of agreements between France and Britain which paved the way for improved cross-Channel relations.
The two wrote: “We are both absolutely clear – Ukraine must win this war. If Ukraine loses, we all lose. The costs of failing to support Ukraine now will be far greater than the costs of repelling Putin.
“But, as discussed during the Paris Conference in February, we must do even more to ensure we defeat Russia. The world is watching – and will judge us if we fail.”
Signalling the need for further international support for Ukraine, they added: “It is not for France and Britain alone to solve these challenges. But, together, we can rally others to join us in overcoming them.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Sunday that his country will lose the war if further US funding is not approved.
In his previous visit to Washington, Mr Cameron likened those blocking US aid to Ukraine to people who appeased Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
His remarks were condemned by pro-Trump Republican Congress member Marjorie Taylor Greene, who told him to “kiss my ass”.
The foreign secretary has recently urged all Nato allies to increase their defence spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), to prepare for the possibility of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Mr Trump, an outspoken critic of Nato members who have not met their aid commitments, has also expressed scepticism about the US providing aid to Ukraine.
Mr Cameron is also expected to meet Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and the pair are likely to discuss the conflict in Gaza.
The UK and the US have hardened their approach towards Israel in recent days after the killing of seven aid workers, including three Britons, by the Israel Defence Forces on April 1st.
Mr Cameron on Sunday warned that the UK’s support for Israel was “not unconditional” in response to the air strikes, and previously called for a full and transparent investigation to follow the IDF’s initial report into the incident.
