John Bolton presses Congress to pass Ukraine aid in wake of Navalny death

Former national security adviser John Bolton said Congress should pass more Ukraine aid in the wake of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

“I think the way to express our feeling, really, is in the U.S. especially, is to get this Ukraine aid package approved, and get it out of the political turmoil that it’s gone through for reasons, in substantial part, utterly unrelated to Ukraine,” Bolton said on SiriusXM’s “The Julie Mason Show” in an interview that aired Friday.

President Biden also used Friday remarks following Navalny’s death to press House Republicans to pass more Ukraine aid. He said the opposition leader’s passing “reminds us of the stakes of this moment.”

“We have to provide the funding so Ukraine can keep defending itself against Putin’s vicious onslaughts and war crimes,” Biden said.

“History is watching the House of Representatives,” the president added. “The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.”

Bolton noted that former President Trump is opposed to more Ukraine aid, and that “some Republicans are following his lead.” However, he also said that he thinks most of the House “thinks this aid needs to be approved.”

“I just hope they can get through the procedural morass beyond that,” Bolton continued.

The Senate has already passed a package that features $60 billion for Ukraine, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has indicated it is not going to make it to a vote in the lower chamber. 

The White House went after Johnson on Thursday for beginning a house recess and not bringing the Senate’s Ukraine aid package to the floor for a vote.

“Every day that Speaker Johnson causes our national security to deteriorate, America loses. And every day that he puts off a clean vote, congressional Republicans’ standing with the American people plunges,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said. “Running away for an early vacation only worsens both problems.”