US State Department: Bipartisan majority in Congress supports extension of assistance to Ukraine

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said this at a briefing on Tuesday, September 26, Voice of America reports.

Miller was answering a question about the continuation of funding for Ukraine during the vote on the budget resolution. According to him, the State Department is ready to talk about all the accountability mechanisms involved in funding for Ukraine.

"We think it's important that Congress continues to demonstrate strong support for Ukraine, that it continues to deter and repel Russian aggression, that Congress makes it clear that we are not going to abandon Ukraine," the State Department spokesman said.

Matthew Miller added that he believes it was important that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Capitol Hill last week, where the head of Ukraine spoke with members of Congress about what is happening in Ukraine.

The same day, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that the bipartisan majority in Congress is committed to supporting Ukraine, and that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell support extending funding for Ukraine during the budget resolution vote.

What is a "shutdown" and why voting for a budget resolution is important for Ukraine as well

The adoption of a budget resolution is necessary to avoid a so-called "shutdown" - a partial shutdown of the US government. Such a shutdown could occur on October 1 if Congress does not adopt a budget resolution for the next fiscal year by September 30. Instead, the adoption of a budget resolution will allow the government to finance its expenditures until lawmakers pass a budget law.

Earlier, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the shutdown could affect the speed of arms deliveries to U.S. partners.