David Cameron bids to simmer down tensions as Foreign Secretary insists he’s ‘not
David Cameron sought to simmer down tensions with the US Congress today as he insisted he was ‘not wanting in any way to lecture American friends’.
The Foreign Secretary stressed his ‘deep and abiding love’ for the US following a backlash at his ‘undiplomatic’ plea for Washington D.C. to approve new funding for Ukraine.
The ex-PM was told to ‘kiss my a**’ by Republican right-winger Marjorie Taylor Greene after he compared failing to give fresh aid for Kyiv to the appeasement of Hitler.
A $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan has been passed by the US Senate but is facing an uncertain future in the House of Representatives.
Republicans allied to former president Donald Trump oppose the legislation due to concerns about sending more money abroad and amid a domestic border row.
David Cameron sought to simmer down tensions with the US Congress today as he insisted he was ‘not wanting in any way to lecture American friends’
The ex-PM was told to ‘kiss my a**’ by Republican right-winger Marjorie Taylor Greene after he compared failing to give fresh aid for Kyiv to the appeasement of Hitler
Smoke rises after a tank fires in the direction of Bakhmut, where clashes between Russia and Ukraine continue to take place
During a visit to Poland today, Lord Cameron said the US Congress passing the new funding package was ‘crucial’ to helping Ukraine win the conflict against Russia.
‘We really do want to see Congress pass that money to support Ukraine economically, but crucially militarily in the months ahead,’ he said.
‘We have to do everything we can to make sure that Ukraine can succeed in this year and beyond.
‘We must not let Putin think he can out-wait us or last us out, and that’s why this vote in Congress is so crucial.
‘And I say this as someone who is not wanting in any way to lecture American friends, or tell American friends what to do.
‘I say it as someone who has a deep and abiding love of the United States – of their democracy, of their belief in freedom – but as someone who really believes in the importance of our alliance.’
In an article for US political website The Hill, published on Wednesday, Lord Cameron said he was dropping ‘all diplomatic niceties’ in his appeal for the US Congress to approve new aid for Ukraine.
He wrote: ‘I do not want us to show the weakness displayed against Hitler in the 1930s. He came back for more, costing us far more lives to stop his aggression.
‘I do not want us to show the weakness displayed against Putin in 2008, when he invaded Georgia, or the uncertainty of the response in 2014, when he took Crimea and much of the Donbas – before coming back to cost us far more with his aggression in 2022.
‘I want us to show the strength displayed since 2022, as the West has helped Ukrainians liberate half the territory seized by Putin, all without the loss of any Nato service personnel.’
But the Foreign Secretary’s comments prompted a backlash from Republican allies of Mr Trump, who is the front-runner to be the party’s presidential candidate at November’s US election.
‘That’s hilarious. David Cameron can kiss my a**’ Ms Taylor Greene told DailyMail.com, in comments she also repeated on camera to Sky News.
Andy Biggs called Lord Cameron’s statement ‘laughable’ adding that he has ‘rich disdain for such an immature opinion.’
Mike Waltz said it would be ‘nice’ if ‘our British friends paid more attention to demanding that the rest of Europe contribute their fair share rather than demanding the US sign a blank check.’
And Chip Roy questioned ‘where is the UK in all of this?’.