United States President Joe Biden assured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday that not extending aid to Ukraine would represent “a Christmas present” for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky has been in Washington since Monday to attempt a seemingly impossible mission: convincing the U.S. Congress to approve new money later this year to help his country in its war against Russia. It faces two formidable obstacles: a lack of time – lawmakers plan to close this Friday for vacation – and a lack of interest among the Republican caucus – which insists on linking this aid to tougher measures on the border with Mexico.
His early visit to the Capitol, his third in a year, highlighted how the political climate in Congress has changed over the past 12 months. Last December, when Democrats still controlled both chambers, he received a hero's welcome and gave a floor speech to both chambers. Now he was holding a closed meeting with senators – some of the Republicans had indicated they would not insist on it – and he had no plans to meet with the representatives of the House of Representatives, except for the president of that institution, Mike Johnson and the ranking Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.
The White House has asked Congress for $61.4 billion (around 57 billion euros) in military and economic aid for Ukraine. But Republican lawmakers, who have controlled the House since January, have blocked every request for support since September. This group insists that aid to the invaded country be contingent on Democrats agreeing to tighten border controls and the asylum application system as the influx of migrants has increased over the past two years.
These are demands that have nothing to do with war. Zelensky cannot do anything about it, but they greatly complicate his approach to the fighting. It is crucial for the Ukrainian president to continue receiving American aid. This has been the case since the beginning of the Russian invasion: Washington has already contributed more than $100 billion (93 billion euros) to the war effort. But especially now. Russian troops have resumed their offensive and are advancing in the east of the country as Ukraine suffers tens of thousands of casualties in two years of war and the harsh blow the conflict has inflicted on its economy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy upon his arrival at the Capitol this Tuesday. JIM LO SCALZO (EFE)
Some Republican lawmakers even criticized Zelensky's mere presence in the Capitol. Ohio Senator JD Vance, of the hardline conservative wing, had described the visit as a pressure measure to make them feel “guilty” and described himself as “insulted”.
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without restrictions.
Subscribe to
After the meeting with the senators, the tone of the reactions depended on the party to which the responders belonged. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer – one of the strongest supporters of support for Ukraine – called the meeting “very powerful.” “President Zelensky has made it clear that he needs the help, but if he gets it, he can win this war,” he added.
For his part, Jeffries explained: “We also talked about values and the fact that we stand with the Ukrainian people because we stand with democracy.” We are with freedom. We are at the truth. “We are for good and against evil.”
Criticism from Republicans
On the other side of the political spectrum, Alaska Republican Senator Dan Sullivan emphasized: “We definitely want to help them.” No doubt. We simply need to have a serious agreement on the border. “We will not give in.” Other Republican lawmakers, like Lindsey Graham of Georgia, called on Biden to be the one to go to the Capitol and negotiate immigration.
The Republican position has hardened significantly in the last year. In the first half of the year, only a few congressmen from the party's hard wing spoke out against aid to Ukraine. The Senate was almost unanimous in its solidarity with the invaded country, both in the Democratic and Republican factions.
But the budget conflicts between the two parties are increasing, and with them the Republicans' demands to curb spending. Opposition to providing more funding for the war effort no longer belongs only to the most right-wing factions of Republicans but has spread to the more moderate wing. They believe that the funds transferred are not sufficiently transparent, that the donation was already sufficient and that these funds should be used for other purposes on American soil. To this, the White House replies that this money is not sent to Ukraine, but is used to purchase weapons and it is the US defense companies that receive it.
“What the Biden administration appears to be asking for is billions of additional dollars without adequate oversight, without a clear winning strategy and without the answers that I believe should be given to the American people,” Johnson remarked after their meeting with Zelensky.
Now even Republican lawmakers who support aid to Ukraine, which they say is crucial in the fight against Putin's autocracy, insist that tougher measures must be taken against illegal immigration.
Given the entrenched positions and deep divisions between the two parties over immigration reform – an issue they have been unable to agree on for the past three decades – it is unlikely that lawmakers will be able to reach agreement before the election begins. Break Christmas legislation. MPs could choose to postpone the holiday, but without the prospect of a deal on the horizon, that option is not on the table today.
Zelensky and Biden shake hands in Washington this Tuesday.MANDEL NGAN (AFP)
The White House is continuing its pressure campaign against the clock to win approval from lawmakers. His and Zelensky's arguments include that Putin will be the big beneficiary of a US withdrawal of support for Ukraine. “Russia appears to believe that a winter military standoff will undermine support for Ukraine” and give Moscow an advantage, according to White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
Zelensky made similar comments on Monday in a speech at the National Defense University, the Pentagon's center for higher education. “If there is anyone who benefits from the unanswered questions on Capitol Hill, it is only Putin and his henchmen,” he claimed.
Follow all international information on Facebook and Xor in our weekly newsletter.
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
_