During a visit to Washington, the Ukrainian president urgently appealed for more arms aid for his country. Zelensky met for the first time with the leaders of Biden’s Democrats and conservative Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
The president said he had “very strong” discussions. Zelensky later said he was counting on “long-term support” from the United States. “To win, we have to be together. And win together.” At the White House, he thanked the US for its support in the fight against “Russian terror”.
Portal/Kevin Lamarque Biden promised new military aid to Ukraine, but the missiles Kiev expected are not included
Biden’s security adviser Jake Sullivan announced a new military aid package for Kiev. However, he made it clear that the package does not include ATACMS missiles, which Zelenskyy wants. “President Biden will announce a new military aid package today,” he said. After careful consideration, Biden decided not to provide ATACMS missiles, Sullivan said. “But he also doesn’t rule it out for the future.”
“We had a great conversation”
Before arriving at the White House, Zelensky met with representatives from the US Congress. On Capitol Hill, the Ukrainian leader held talks with members of the Senate and House of Representatives about additional US aid to defend against Russia’s war of aggression. “We had a great conversation,” Zelensky said after the meetings. The discussions were mainly about more aid.
Zelensky warned senators of the dangers if no additional funding was approved for Ukraine, US Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. His colleague in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, agreed with him. “It is important that we support Ukraine until victory is achieved,” said the Democrat.
Zelenskyy: “Very intense exchange”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to senators and representatives at the US Capitol in Washington about continued US arms deliveries. “We had a great conversation,” Zelenskyy said after the meeting, which he described as an “intensive exchange.”
The Ukrainian president had already been to Washington at the end of December. At that time, he was received as a hero and spoke in both chambers of Congress, to the applause of deputies and senators. Since the start of the war of aggression, the United States claims to have provided more than $43 billion in military aid to Kiev – far more than any other country. There is also extensive economic aid.
Today the wind is different
But since Zelensky’s visit just before Christmas, the political situation in Washington has changed. Republicans have been in charge of the US House of Representatives since January, and there is considerable skepticism among their ranks as to whether the US should continue to pump large-scale money into a war with no end in sight. And this time Zelensky met with senators and deputies behind closed doors. A great speech failed.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy made clear he rejected the request. “We don’t have time for a joint meeting,” he said, according to US media. McCarthy said he would ask Zelensky about the use of previous U.S. funds. The US is being asked to “fund an endless conflict with unlimited resources,” Republican Senator JD Vance wrote on Twitter (X).
AP/POLITICO/Francis Chung On Thursday, Zelensky met with several politicians in the US Congress
Most Republicans in Congress support supporting Ukraine. Right-wing hardliners, in particular, oppose this. “The US is wasting money we don’t have to pay on this war while the EU and other leaders are absent from the world stage,” said Republican Senator Roger Marshall. For this reason he also stayed away from the meeting with the Ukrainian president.
There is a dispute over the budget
All eyes are mainly focused on the House of Representatives. Unlike the Senate, Republicans have a majority in this chamber of parliament – but only a narrow one. This gives party hardliners who oppose more aid to Ukraine particularly great power. They are pressuring their president, McCarthy, and encouraging him. This is currently evident in the annual dispute over a new budget, which is also important for Ukraine.
Portal/Albert Cheung A conversation with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was on the agenda
In this context, US President Biden asked Congress for a new sum of one billion dollars for Ukraine. It is unclear how his request will be fulfilled. A new federal budget must be approved by the end of September, otherwise there is a risk of a “shutdown” – that is, a standstill in government business. There is a fierce dispute among Republicans over this – it concerns several differences, including the new aid to Ukraine.