Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this Thursday upon his arrival in Washington that aid to Ukraine’s air defense will be a priority in talks with US authorities, including his counterpart Joe Biden.
Zelensky highlighted on social networks his arrival in Washington, after having participated, in New York, in the UN General Assembly and in a meeting of the Security Council on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“During my meetings, air defense will be a top priority,” Zelensky wrote of planned talks with Biden and other US leaders.
Zelensky wants to ensure continued US support for Ukraine, after favorable sentiment towards kyiv appears to have waned since the Republican opposition took control of one of the houses of parliament.
The Ukrainian leader is expected to meet with the leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties, and the French agency AFP highlighted the meeting with the Republican head of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, as the most difficult.
“I have questions to ask you. Can you explain to us the money we have already spent? What is the strategy for victory?” the conservative leader said Tuesday, under pressure from the party’s right to cut funding to Kiev.
The financial aspect is further complicated by the risk that the US budget will be paralyzed in the near future, if deputies fail to reach an agreement before October 1 on a provisional law.
Part of the obstacle in the discussions is the budget for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, according to AFP.
The White House stated on Wednesday that it was vital that Congress unlock the $24 billion (22.5 billion euros, at the current exchange rate) requested by the Biden Administration to support Kiev.
Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to visit the Pentagon, headquarters of the Defense, on Thursday before being received at the White House.
This will be followed by a meeting between the two presidents in the Oval Office and then an expanded meeting with delegations from both countries.
Zelensky was in Washington on December 21, 10 months after Russia invaded Ukraine, in what was his first trip abroad since the start of the war.
Source: TSF
