EU’s top diplomat urges US to reconsider dropping Ukrainian aid from stop-gap budget bill

LONDON (AP) — The European Union’s foreign policy chief has called on U.S. lawmakers to reconsider their decision to omit financial support for Ukraine from a stop-gap budget created to halt a federal government shutdown. The legislation passed Saturday to keep the federal government running until Nov. 17 dropped provisions on providing additional aid to Ukraine. Speaking in Kyiv after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said European officials were surprised by the last-minute agreement in Washington and pledged the 27-nation bloc would continue helping the invaded country defeat Russia. Ukrainian officials stressed that U.S. backing for Ukraine would continue despite the stop-gap legislation.