Biden calls allies to try and reassure them of U.S. support for Ukraine

President Joe Biden held a call with leaders of U.S. allies, the European Union and NATO on Tuesday, the White House said, amid efforts to reassure them about American support for Ukraine.

The call was scheduled after a deal to avoid a government shutdown included no new aid for Kyiv, fueling doubts about future support in Washington for the fight against Russia.

Biden had aimed to convey that his administration is committed to assisting Ukraine, despite resistance among some Republican in Congress, three U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity said before the call.

The call included the leaders of Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom, as well as France’s foreign minister, the White House said in a statement. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and leaders of the European Union were also on the call, it added.

Biden may call for other leaders to step up their efforts, according to one of the officials.

The call comes as European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Kyiv, a historic show of public support at a crucial moment in the war.

But there are signs of fatigue and frustration beyond Washington, as Ukraine struggles to convert billions of dollars in aid into a battlefield breakthrough.

Kyiv has brushed off fears that backing for its cause may be waning.

“We don’t feel that the U.S. support has been shattered,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Monday.

Biden gave Ukraine and its supporters a boost last month, telling President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the U.S. will provide a small number of long-range missiles he has long been asking for.

News that the administration would provide the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, was seen as a significant development.

There also remain $5.4 billion in funds left for assistance to Ukraine that was freed up when the administration realized an accounting error, a U.S. official said Monday.