Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Thursday, as he faced skeptical Republicans in the US Congress, that Kiev will lose the war against Russia’s invasion if it cuts off the flow of billions of dollars in aid.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a staunch supporter of US President Joe Biden’s pro-Ukrainian policies, said Zelensky literally told him that “if we don’t get the help [dos EUA]we will lose the war.”
The US has led Western support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with Congress approving more than $100 billion in aid to date, including $43 billion in weapons.
The right wing that dominates the Republican Party is increasingly adamant about the need to turn off the aid tap, with polls showing Republican voters growing wary, partly due to Donald Trump’s messaging as he seeks to return to the White House in 2024.
In this sense, this second visit by Zelensky to the US Congress during the war, followed by stops at the Pentagon and a meeting with Biden at the White House, was much more challenging than his first trip in December 2022, when he was received as a hero .
Dressed in military colors, Zelensky said upon arriving in the US capital that he expected “important negotiations” and that “air defense for Ukraine is one of the most important issues.”
The Ukrainian leader arrived shortly after a new wave of Russian missile attacks. The attacks, which hit cities across the country, killed at least three people in Kherson.
Instead of the televised address to lawmakers at the Capitol, as happened during his previous visit to Washington, this time Zelensky started with a meeting with Republican President of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, who offered only a discreet reception.
McCarthy has struggled to contain intraparty infighting over U.S. spending in Ukraine.
Some Republicans say the money would be better spent on U.S. border security, though there are also concerns about the pace of Kiev’s counteroffensive and that corruption in Ukraine means the money could be wasted.
Congress should not send “another blank check to Zelensky,” says Senator Roger Marshall
It’s a trend that has also reached parts of the Republican Senate. with Senator Roger Marshall stating that Congress should not “send another blank check to Zelensky.”
A group of six senators released a joint letter declaring that “enough is enough” and vowing to block all future funding requests.
However, there was a more positive tone from the Republican leader, from the more moderate wing, of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, who said Zelensky told him “he is winning.”
“I asked what do you need? What is your plan for victory?” McCaul told reporters, adding that Ukraine “will receive” the $24 billion aid package wanted by the White House.
Earlier this week, Zelensky attended the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, where he urged the world to stand firm with Ukraine against Russian ‘genocide’.
The White House said the Ukrainian leader’s visit came at a “really critical time” as Ukraine’s slow counteroffensive against Russian forces continues ahead of winter.
Zelensky’s alleged request for long-range ATACMS missiles capable of reaching up to 300 kilometers “is not ruled out,” but no decision has been made, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Biden has promised to support Kiev no matter what. His 2024 re-election campaign is trying to portray his continued support for Ukraine as a way to demonstrate his global leadership.
US President and First Lady Jill Biden will welcome Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska to the White House before talks between the two leaders begin, according to US officials.
Biden would like to get a battlefield perspective directly from Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Kirby added.
On Tuesday, the American president spoke out at the United Nations against abandoning Ukraine. “Russia believes that the world will grow tired and allow Ukraine to be brutal without consequences,” he said.
Biden’s warning came a day before Poland announced it would no longer supply Ukraine with weapons after an escalating dispute over grain exports. On Thursday, the country made clear that it would comply with existing arms supply agreements.
Source: DN
