Less than a month after his return to government, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron joined Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Thursday to call for continued support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.
The meeting between America and Britain’s top diplomats comes as Washington is immersed in delicate negotiations over border policy that are tied to the fate of President Joe Biden’s supplemental funding request, which includes billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Blinken said the U.S. and U.K. “are in lockstep” when it comes to the war in Europe, adding to the already substantial recent pressure from the White House for Congress to act on Biden’s request quickly.
“As we accelerate our efforts to enable Ukraine to stand on its own, it's crucial that the United States and our partners continue to do our respective parts,” Blinken said. “And that's why the supplemental that's currently before Congress is so necessary and so urgent.”
“The reason I wanted to be in Washington, D.C. this week was to make the point about how important it is that we go on funding Ukraine and helping Ukraine in every way we can,” Cameron said. “I see it as the challenge of our generation.”
Blinken made a point on Thursday to note the assistance other U.S. allies are providing to Ukraine, appearing to address an explanation Republicans frequently offer for being critical of additional U.S. assistance to the country: that other U.S. partners around the world should step up and do more to take some of the burden off the U.S.
“The United States has provided something north of $70 billion to support Ukraine. Our European allies have provided more than $110 billion in support,” Blinken said. “So when we talk about burden sharing, this is a very powerful example of just that.”
The secretary went on to note that the U.K. has committed the second-most of any country in military assistance to Ukraine after the U.S.
“If you look at what our European partners are doing, what other partners in other parts of the world are doing – because this is really a global coalition in support of Ukraine,” Blinken emphasized. “As I said, other countries are doing extraordinary things: military support, economic support, humanitarian support.”
“Thank you Tony for what you said about the scale of European support now out-matching U.S. support,” Cameron said to Blinken. “We are rightly sharing the burden – as we should, it's our continent.”
It comes just a day after Biden delivered a personal plea to lawmakers to pass his requested additional aid to Ukraine, which is a part of a more than $100 billion national security package also including funds for Israel, the Indo-Pacific and U.S.-Mexico border.
Republicans insist significant changes to border policy must be included in any package with more assistance to Ukraine. Additional aid to the war-torn country has been a sticking point for months, particularly among House Republicans.
The U.S. has not passed any more aid to the country since Republicans took control of the House. Biden first requested more money for Ukraine in August.
Blinken and Cameron also discussed the Israel-Hamas war and relations with China amid recently-increased tensions between Washington and Beijing.
“We're aligned on key challenges that we face in the Indo-Pacific, that includes ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as well as standing up to the [People’s Republic of China] for its non-market practices,” Blinken said.
In a surprising move, last month, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tapped Cameron as the country’s foreign secretary – bringing the former British prime minister, who resigned after the Brexit referendum, back into government. Cameron held the prime minister role from 2010-2016, serving during the divisive decision for Britain to leave the European Union.
Blinken on Thursday lauded the ties between the U.S. and U.K., saying “the infamous special relationship has never been more important than it is now.”
“This relationship has never been more important in the dangerous and insecure and unstable world in which we currently live,” Cameron added. “This is a partnership that really delivers for the United Kingdom and delivers, I believe, for the United States.”