Ukrainian ambassador to US: ‘We believe support is there’ for stalled aid package

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova says she believes there is still strong bipartisan support in Congress for an aid package for Kyiv and that she’s hopeful lawmakers will reach a deal in January.

“When we talk to people on the Hill on both aisles — and again, Ukraine has always valued the bipartisan support, strong bipartisan support that we had — I believe that the support is there,” Markarova said in an interview on “The Sunday Show With Jonathan Capehart” on MSNBC.

“And people on the Hill realize how important it is not only for Ukraine or Europe or the prosperity on which the success of democratic countries is built on, but also for the U.S. national interest,” she continued.

The Senate left Washington last week before they could broker a deal that would unlock aid to Ukraine and Israel by addressing the situation at the southern border.

“Now I just really hope that this package that includes not only us and Israel, but also the internal issues, that there will be a solution there acceptable for both parties and that it will not hold the support to Ukraine and again, let’s all pray and hope that it will be as early as the beginning of January,” Markarova said.

In the interview, Markarova stressed Ukraine’s gratitude for the continued aid from the United States and said Ukraine has demonstrated its ability to win the war. She also stressed the need for democratic countries to remain united against the allied forces of Russia, Hamas, North Korea and Iran.

“In times when not only we have seen all the horrible war crimes in Ukraine, and again, this war is violating everything we all believe in. But we also have shown that Ukrainians can win this, and together with all of our friends and allies, especially with the U.S., but more than 50 countries that now are helping us, we can prove that democracies can defend themselves,” Markarova said.

“We have liberated more than 50 percent of what Russia has taken since the beginning. We have shown how effective we can be in repelling this and defending the, not only the people of Ukraine, but also the ideals of democracy and freedom. So while Russia, Iran, North Korea, Hamas and others are helping each other and uniting, [we] people should unite too,” she said. “We should show that we can stay the course. So we are very grateful to all American people for the support that we have received.”