Zelensky and Biden push for more help at White House meetings
During a bilateral meeting, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky thanked President Joe Biden for additional military aid but also called for more support.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has privately signaled he is open to a ceasefire in Ukraine, The New York Times reported Saturday, even though he has publicly said he will not withdraw from the conflict that has been ongoing since early last year.
According to the United Nations, more than 10,000 civilians have been killed and more than 18,500 injured since the war began, along with tens of thousands of soldiers.
Putin has indicated since at least September that he was ready to end fighting at the current border lines, the Times reported, citing two former senior Russian officials close to the Kremlin and other American and international officials.
That's a far cry from Putin's obvious goal of overtaking Ukraine. Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and quickly conquered large parts of the country. But the Ukrainian armed forces fought back hard and successfully forced Russia to withdraw from its northern regions. As of October 2022, the battle lines have remained largely the same, with Russia holding parts of Ukraine's southern and eastern regions.
According to the Times, Putin also “extended feelers for a ceasefire” last fall and said he was happy with the territory they had taken. But sources cited by the Times also warned that it could be an attempt at “diversion” or that Putin could change his mind if his troops regain momentum. It is also not clear whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would accept the deal since Russia still holds parts of the country.
The Russian military was depleted in early 2023 as professional soldiers were replaced by conscripts and prisoners who could not stand up to Ukraine's armed forces. Only a small portion of Russians supported the war effort, and Putin faced an embarrassing mutiny from mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
However, Ukraine failed to recapture its lost territories. It has wavering support in the West and is competing with the war in Gaza for international attention.
Zelensky has lobbied U.S. leaders to finalize additional aid to his country, including visiting Washington last week to meet with congressional leaders and President Joe Biden.
Biden has requested $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, $10 billion for humanitarian aid and $14 billion for the U.S. border. The package has stalled in Congress as the Republican caucus remains divided over whether to continue supporting Ukraine's fight against Russia.
The Biden administration has warned that without additional funding approved by Congress, it will soon run out of funding for Ukraine's war effort. Republicans refused to vote on the request for additional funding without making significant changes to asylum and border policies.
Bipartisan negotiations have been underway in the Senate for weeks, involving representatives from the White House and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Senate hopes to reach an agreement and vote on it when Congress returns early next year.