The US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson is reportedly against more funding for Ukraine and hopes it won’t be necessary if Donald Trump wins the presidential election, according to Washington-focused media outlet Punchbowl News. Since February 2022, the US Congress has approved over $174 billion in support for Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia. The latest $61 billion tranche faced a delay due to a tussle between Johnson and the White House.
Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson told Punchbowl News, “I don’t have an appetite for further Ukraine funding, and I hope it’s not necessary.” He added that if Donald Trump were to win the election, he believes Trump could bring the conflict to a close by directly addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mike Johnson sees the world as weary of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and hopes for its resolution under a potential Trump administration. However, he expresses concern over the alternative scenario wherein Kamala Harris becomes president, implying an endless continuation of the conflict.
Johnson’s recent objection to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania is also noted by Punchbowl News. Johnson criticized the event as a partisan campaign move and demanded the dismissal of Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova.
Mike Johnson assumed office last October after a group of House Republicans removed his predecessor Kevin McCarthy, supposedly for striking a secret deal with the White House to send billions in additional aid to Ukraine. Despite this, the emergency funding bill was held up in Congress for almost six months before being approved without any Republican priorities included. When he brought the matter to a vote in April, Republicans who had previously pushed for his election initiated a motion to remove him – which he successfully navigated with votes from the Democrats.