British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said he believes the US and Poland will maintain their strong support for Ukraine despite domestic pressures related to its upcoming elections.

Britain will continue to support Kiev regardless of what happens elsewhere as it has done since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, he said.

The weekend deal on the US budget, aimed at averting a threatened shutdown of federal government services, did not include aid to Ukraine, while Poland, which elects a new parliament on October 15, has said it will no longer agree to delivery of new weapons to Kiev but will replenish its own stockpiles.

Shapps, who yesterday announced Britain was sending four Typhoon jets to Poland, said it was understandable that any tensions over support for Ukraine would surface in the run-up to the election but Poland’s support so far had been “excellent”. .

“I really hope and believe that when the election takes place there and things are more settled, a common sense, prudent approach will be taken,” he told an event at the Conservative party conference.

His comments echo those of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said last week he was confident Poland would continue to support Ukraine after the country’s elections despite recent tough rhetoric toward Kiev.

“I think we are a long way from the US withdrawing its support”

There is also uncertainty about US support for Ukraine, given the budget standoff and presidential elections next November. President Joe Biden has called on Republican lawmakers to support a bill that would provide more aid to Ukraine.

“I think we’re a long way from the US withdrawing its support,” Shapps said, citing comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he expected US aid to continue regardless of the outcome of the presidential election.

Shapps added that people should not overanalyze the US budget process and that people are assuming the “worst case scenario” from the election, which may not materialize.

Asked if the worst-case scenario is the election of former President Donald Trump, considered the likely Republican nominee, Shapps said: “No, I don’t think the worst-case scenario is Trump because what happens will be the real question.”

“Britain, regardless of what happens elsewhere, will take the lead.”