WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee said on May 15 that he does not expect Congress to approve another major supplemental spending package for Ukraine, signaling continued resistance among President Donald Trump’s allies to expanding direct US financial support for Kyiv.
Representative Brian Mast told RFE/RL during a Council on Foreign Relations event that he believes Europe should take greater responsibility for supporting Ukraine because the war is “in their backyard.”
“I do not believe that you will see a US, call it a security supplemental to Ukraine, for $6 billion, $60 billion, or any other amount,” Mast said.
Mast said Washington would continue providing intelligence support to Ukraine and allow weapons sales and transfers, even if Congress does not approve another large aid package.
The comments underscore the increasingly skeptical posture toward Ukraine aid among Republicans aligned with Trump, even as bipartisan lawmakers in Congress push to force votes on new assistance and tougher sanctions on Russia.
Mast said the Trump administration’s current approach toward Russia and Ukraine was “sound,” arguing Washington should continue intelligence sharing and facilitate weapons transfers, but stop short of approving another large funding package.
“We’re happy to be negotiators of peace,” Mast said. “Europe needs to protect their own backyard.”
He accused some European governments of having “freeloaded” on US security guarantees for years while remaining dependent on Russian energy exports.
Mast contrasted the Ukraine war with tensions involving Iran, saying European countries were more directly affected by disruptions tied to Tehran, including threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while contributing comparatively little.
At the same time, Mast voiced support for additional sanctions on Moscow, including secondary sanctions, though he cautioned they should avoid harming US allies more than Russia itself.
“The sanctions have to make sure that they’re doing more harm to our enemies and more good to us as allies,” he said.
Ukraine Aid Push Gains Momentum In Congress
Mast’s remarks came as a bipartisan effort to force a House vote on the Ukraine Support Act cleared a key procedural hurdle this week.
A discharge petition tied to the bill reached the required 218 signatures after Representative Kevin Kiley, a California lawmaker who left the Republican Party to become an independent earlier this year, signed onto the measure.
The legislation, introduced by Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would authorize more than $1 billion in direct assistance for Ukraine and up to $8 billion in additional support through loans. It would also impose sweeping sanctions and export controls targeting Russia’s financial, energy and mining sectors.
Discharge petitions allow lawmakers to bypass House leadership and force floor votes, a tactic that has become more common as Republicans hold only a narrow majority in the chamber.
Supporters of the bill said Congress should move quickly.
“We look forward to seeing the House pass this bill quickly and encourage the Senate to take it up without delay,” Meeks and other backers said in a joint statement.
State Department Notifies Congress Of Arms Export
Mast’s comments also came as the US State Department formally notified the Senate on May 15 of a proposed export license involving firearms, parts, and components destined for the Netherlands and Ukraine worth $1 million or more, according to a congressional communication reviewed by RFE/RL.
The notification, submitted under the Arms Export Control Act, was transmitted by the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The administration has slowed the pace of direct US aid to Kyiv since Trump returned to office in January, while continuing limited military cooperation and backing certain weapons transfers.
Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange missile, drone and artillery strikes more than four years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion began, with peace talks stalled and no ceasefire agreement in sight.
