Lord Cameron has insisted he is not trying to “lecture” the US over committing to more funding for Ukraine after a Republican congresswoman told him to “kiss my a**”.
The foreign secretary got into hot water with right-wing politicians across the Atlantic on Wednesday after writing an article for The Hill, saying he did not want the West to “show the weakness displayed against Hitler in the 1930s” when it came to standing up to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Asked by Sky News about the piece, prominent Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene said Lord Cameron “needs to worry about his own country and frankly he can kiss my a**.”
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Speaking at a press conference in Poland today, the former prime minister appeared to try and calm any tensions, telling reporters he was “someone who is not wanting in any way to lecture American friends or tell American friends what to do”.
But the foreign secretary doubled down on his appeal for the US to agree to more financial and military aid for Ukraine’s war effort as the future of the $95bn bill containing aid for Ukraine remains in doubt.
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“I say it as someone who has a deep and abiding love of the United States, of their democracy, of their belief in freedom, but as someone who really believes in the importance of our alliance,” said Lord Cameron.
“To me it is very personal. I remember the stories my grandfather told of fighting after D Day under the support of American warships, I think of what I did with the American president to clear ISIL out of Iraq and Syria.
“When Britain and Europe and America, when we stand together, when we fight together, when we stand up for freedom, when we stand against aggression, when we stand with our partners, we cant be defeated.”
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The foreign secretary also warned there would be “other people watching what the Americans do”, adding: “They will be watching in China. They will be watching in Iran.
“And every country around the world [will watch] to see if we, these western countries, are we reliable allies when we say we are going to back you, when we say you’re right to resist aggression, when we say you are right to defend your country, when we say you are right to defend your border?
“Are we with you, not just today or tomorrow or for months, but are we with you until your aggressor has lost? That’s the question for us… that is what we hope the Americans will vote for in Congress.”
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US parties are split over whether to approve the funding for Ukraine.
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While President Joe Biden and the Democrats want it to go through, Republicans have questioned spending the money on a war effort abroad when there are domestic issues that need addressing.
The White House offered fresh measures to tackle problems on the south border of the US in exchange for approval for the cash.
But former president Donald Trump told Republicans to vote against the measures, threatening to end the careers of those who supported it.
