U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he disagrees with imposing restrictions on Kyiv regarding the use of U.S.-supplied weapons and criticized the Biden administration's "micromanaging the war effort in Ukraine," Voice of America reported on June 5.
After weeks of debate, Washington gave Ukraine permission to use some American weapons to strike targets in Russia across the border from both Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts, U.S. and Ukrainian officials confirmed on May 31.
Ukraine said that Washington's initial ban on striking targets in Russia meant Ukraine was unable to attack Russian forces as they were building up before crossing the border into Kharkiv Oblast in the renewed Russian offensive that was launched on May 10.
"I don't believe we should be micromanaging the war effort in Ukraine," Johnson told Voice of America while walking through the Capitol on June 4.
"I think we need to give them the weapons that are necessary to defend themselves and to push back against the Russians."
"I oppose the president on that," Johnson said, adding that he will "have conversations with the White House about it."
As Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives since October 2023, Johnson was widely blamed for delaying fresh supplies of aid to Kyiv due to his refusal to hold a vote on various iterations of the foreign aid bill that allocated $61 billion in support for Ukraine.
Johnson's latest comments follow his remarks to Voice of America in late May, when he said that the U.S. should allow Ukraine to carry out "the war in the way they see fit."
Washington still prohibits Ukraine from using long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and other long-range U.S.-supplied weapons for strikes deeper inside Russia, U.S. officials have said.
Chris York
