By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo pledged continued strong support for Ukraine during a meeting with the country’s economy minister, including efforts by the U.S. government and private sector to help rebuild Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko briefed Raimondo at their meeting in Washington on Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and Ukraine’s efforts to promote economic recovery, Commerce said in a statement.
The two also discussed a U.S.-Ukraine infrastructure task force being formed by the Department of Commerce, Department of Transportation and Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure, the department said.
Svyrydenko, who also serves as deputy prime minister, will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington said.
Her visit to Washington comes during congressional elections that could see President Joe Biden’s Democrats lose control of Congress, with some Republicans already speaking out against continued U.S. support for Ukraine.
Republicans would have the power to block aid to Ukraine if they win back control of Congress, but they are more likely to slow or pare the flow of defense and economic assistance than stop it, analysts said.
Brian Gardner, chief Washington policy strategist for Stifel investment bank, said there was a risk of the bipartisan consensus’ backing U.S. support for Ukraine eroding if the U.S. economy weakened or slipped into recession in 2023.
“At that point, if public opinion on Ukraine starts to shift materially, I think the prospects for U.S. support for Ukraine follow and deteriorate,” he said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Leslie Adler)
