The Ukrainian president met with representatives of the US Congress and the Pentagon in Washington this Thursday, sending an optimistic message about the course of the war, while facing new questions about financial and military support for Kiev.
Volodymyr Zelensky received a much calmer reception than the hero’s welcome he received during his visit last year, but also generally favorable comments about the help he says he needs to avoid defeat in the face of the Russian invasion, according to an Associated Press description. (AP).
Dressed in his usual military green suit, the Ukrainian leader arrived at the Capitol carrying a strong message in private conversations with Republican and Democratic leaders: the Ukrainians have a solid war plan and “they are winning,” he assured US lawmakers, they reported. he told AP, at a time when the world is paying attention to Western support for kyiv.
Zelensky also spoke to military leaders at the Pentagon, where he was greeted by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, without the ceremonial band or fanfare usual for a high-level visit, ahead of a meeting scheduled for today with his American counterpart. Joe Biden. , in the White House.
The AP reports that in Congress, Republican leaders pressed him on Ukraine’s counteroffensive to retake territory occupied by invading Russian forces, as the war approaches the two-year mark without major territorial gains along the lines. strongly defended from Ukraine.
Zelensky “admitted that it is difficult, very difficult, to overcome entrenched defenses,” said independent senator Angus King. “They [ucranianos] “I think they will make slow but steady progress.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who faces opposition to his support for Ukraine among supporters aligned with former President Donald Trump, decided not to join in greeting the Ukrainian leader before the cameras, leaving the field open for the Democratic leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries, will escort him. to the Capitol.
But Republican Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Zelensky, in his meeting with lawmakers, “gave very positive details about the offensive and its long-term goals and objectives. People in the room appreciated and supported them.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul downplayed Republican dissent on continuing to support Ukraine with funds and weapons, commenting, “The majority supports this.”
However, McCaul emphasized that lawmakers need to trust that there is a clear strategy for victory.
“The war of attrition is not going to win this,” McCaul said. “That is what [o Presidente russo, Vladimir] “Putin wants it,” he declared, adding: “He wants to break the will of the American and European people.”
It is Zelensky’s second visit to Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and comes at a time when Biden’s request to Congress for an additional $24 billion (22.5 billion euros) for the needs of the military and humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the Ukrainian president the White House’s “best messenger” to persuade U.S. lawmakers to maintain shipments of vital funds and weapons to Kiev.
“It’s really important that members of Congress be able to hear directly from the president what he’s facing in this counteroffensive,” Kirby told reporters Wednesday, “and how he’s achieving his goals and what he needs to continue to achieve them.”
The political environment has changed since Zelensky addressed Congress last December, on his first trip abroad since the start of the war. At that time, he was greeted with enthusiastic applause for his country’s courage and his surprisingly strong performance in the war.
The meeting with the senators took place behind closed doors in the old Senate chamber, a historic, intimate and important place in the Capitol, which demonstrates the respect that the Senate shows to the Ukrainian leader.
Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer flanked him as he entered. Some lawmakers from both parties wore blue and yellow clothing, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Democrat Steny Hoyer, who participated in the House meeting with Zelensky, said that Kevin McCarthy, who had previously made an impassioned announcement that he would demand explanations from Zelensky about the funds spent by Washington, made no promises, but said that Republicans and Democrats were united in support of Ukraine.
“I think the message was not necessarily a promise, but a determination to ensure that we could help Ukraine win this war for freedom and for all of us,” Hoyer said.
After visiting the capital, the Ukrainian leader said that he has the “constant support” of the United States in the face of the Russian invasion, according to a statement from the Presidency.
“To win, we must remain united. And win together. We count on you, on your constant support,” declared Zelensky, quoted in this statement after his meeting with North American representatives.
Source: TSF
