The political crisis in Washington could threaten American aid to Ukraine, US President Joe Biden suggested for the first time, promising a “big speech” on Wednesday about the “extreme” importance of military and financial support for Kyiv, AFP reports.

The U.S. Congress, made up of a Democratic-majority Senate and a Republican-controlled House of Representatives, has about a month and a half to pass an annual budget that must include new funds from which the White House can fund support for Kyiv.

The US presidency estimates the amount needed to continue supporting the Ukrainian military effort at $24 billion. But House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy was forced out of office on Tuesday amid a rebellion by the right wing of his own party, which opposed the allocation of those funds to Ukraine.

Asked Wednesday about the impact of Kevin McCarthy’s impeachment on aid to Kyiv, President Biden told reporters, “I’m concerned.” his closest advisers in the field of national security, including the new chief of the General Staff.

Without repeating the usual assurances that the US will continue to support Kyiv “as long as necessary”, the American president instead emphasized that “it is in the interest of (the US) that Ukraine succeeds” in the face of “It is extremely important for the US and our allies to fulfill his promises,” repeated Joe Biden, aware of the risk of fatigue not only in Congress, but also in the American public opinion in general.

The Democratic president declined to say how long the U.S. could continue to provide military and financial aid unless Congress passes new funding. He said only that Washington had the funds to finance the “next tranche” of aid and suggested there were “other ways” to find the funds, without providing further details.

“We united more than 50 countries (…) to support Ukraine. We organized it,” the American president asserted again on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Joe Biden spoke to the leaders of several allied nations to try to reassure them, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said he was “convinced” that US support would continue.

Faced with a crisis situation in Congress, President Biden said that he does not believe that “we should allow petty political games to stand in the way” of America’s commitments to Ukraine.

The Kiel Institute for World Economics, a German institute that tracks aid to Ukraine, has estimated US aid to Ukraine at just under $75 billion, of which more than $42 billion is military aid through equipment supplies.