Biden calls allies amid concerns over support for Ukraine

President Joe Biden convened a call with world leaders Tuesday, the White House said, in an effort to reassure allies about U.S. support for Ukraine after Congress passed a short-term government funding bill that did not include aid for the warring country.

The call comes amid concern from the Pentagon about dwindling resources available to send to Ukraine as the country looks to drive Russian forces out of its territory. The Defense Department still has $5.4 billion worth of weapons available to send to Ukraine, but is fast running out of money to replenish its own stockpiles.

Leaders of several countries joined the call with Biden Tuesday, according to the White House, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna also joined, as did NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.

Congress’s decision to omit Ukrainian funding from its 11th-hour funding package was a serious blow to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who last month traveled to Washington, D.C., to plead with congressional leaders for continued aid.

The U.S. is set to send another aid package to Ukraine “soon,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.

Meanwhile, the debate over whether to approve funding for continued assistance to the warring country has only grown more complex in recent days. Biden on Sunday alluded to an agreement he made with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Ukraine aid. But McCarthy, who is facing a possible ouster from his position in leadership, has denied he made any such agreement.