MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Monday it believed a decision by U.S. Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill that omitted aid for Ukraine was a temporary setback for Kyiv, but forecast war fatigue in the West would grow and increasingly split opinion.
Congress passed legislation on Saturday which extended funding for more than a month to avoid a government shutdown but did not include any aid for Kyiv, despite Washington’s status as Ukraine’s biggest financial and military backer.
Asked about the U.S. development, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he thought the setback for Ukraine was “a temporary phenomenon” and that Washington would clearly continue what he called its direct involvement in the conflict.
But Peskov, speaking after the party of Robert Fico won a weekend election in Slovakia pledging to end military aid to Ukraine, said that Moscow had long forecast that the West would grow increasingly weary of supporting Ukraine.
“Obviously, this (the U.S. setback) is a temporary phenomenon. America will continue its involvement in this conflict, in fact direct involvement,” said Peskov.
“But we have repeatedly said before that according to our forecasts fatigue from this conflict, fatigue from the completely absurd sponsorship of the Kyiv regime, will grow in various countries, including the United States.
“And this fatigue will lead to the fragmentation of the political establishment and the growth of contradictions.”
The Kremlin has girded Russia for a long war in Ukraine, with big increases in defence spending and production.
US President Joe Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a visit to Washington last month that Washington would maintain strong support for Ukraine in the war despite opposition from some Republican lawmakers.
After the Congressional funding bill was passed, Biden said on Sunday that Republicans had pledged to provide aid to Ukraine through a separate vote, adding: “We cannot under any circumstances allow America’s support for Ukraine to be interrupted.”
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
