Derek Chollet, President Biden’s nominee to be undersecretary of defense for policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that he would “move heaven and earth” for Ukrainians during his Thursday morning confirmation hearing.
Back to Ukraine:
“I will move heaven and earth to get the Ukrainians what they need when they need it,” says Chollet.
— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) September 28, 2023
“I will move heaven and earth to get the Ukrainians what they need when they need it,” Chollet told the committee, according to Politico’s Lara Seligman.
“The impact if the U.S. were to stop providing significant support to Ukraine would be devastating,” Chollet told the Committee’s Chairman, Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, per Politico. “It would be devastating first and foremost to Ukraine which is putting good use to the assistance we’ve been providing them, but also to this very very impressive alliance that has been formed over the last 20 months.”
“I think it is absolutely vital that we maintain our robust assistance to Ukraine,” he concluded, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Ukraine Said It Killed A Russian Fleet Commander. Then He Showed Up On A Video Call)
A continuing resolution recently passed by the Senate to avoid a Sept. 30 government shutdown provides for over $6 billion in new funds for the warring country. Ukraine has received over $100 billion in U.S. aid to date.
During the hearing, Republican Missouri Sen. Roger Wicker said Chollet had previously “trivialized the situation on our southern border” and that he has described the U.S. military as “infected by systemic racism.”
Biden tapped Chollet for the Pentagon’s third-highest civilian position in July to take over for departing incumbent Colin Kohl. Chollet most recently served in the U.S. State Department as a senior policy advisor to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He also previously worked in the Pentagon as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.