Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to the US Congress brought nothing newsaid Sen. Eric Schmidt, Republican of Missouri, after the closed-door meeting, The New York Times reported.
“It’s still the same old stuff. There’s nothing new,” he said.
Kansas Republican Jerry Moran said Zelensky had made it clear that Ukraine would “continue to struggle” without additional US aid.
He criticized his fellow party members, which blocked the allocation of funds to Kiev, calling the support “necessary” to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty. “I think, actually, if we had provided the appropriate assistance earlier, we would have been in a better position. Ukraine would be in a better position today,” Moran believes.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said after meeting with Zelensky that the Biden administration should provide more details on how the money will be used.
“What the Biden administration seems to want, are billions of additional dollars without proper oversightwithout a clear strategy for victory and without any of the answers that I think are owed to the American people,” Johnson said after meeting with Zelensky.
Other Republicans have their doubts whether additional aid will help Ukraine defeat Russia after the summer offensive, which failed to produce clear successes.
“I know everyone wants Ukraine to win, but I don’t see that in the maps” said Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.
Some Republicans, particularly those with closest ties to former President Donald Trump, oppose more aid to Ukraine and ask for the aims of the war and how US money is spent. They say any additional money should be coupled with changes to immigration policy, a hugely divisive issue in US politics.
“The only person who is happiest right now about the impasse in Congress is Vladimir Putin. He’s happy about the fact that Donald Trump’s border policy is sabotaging military aid to Ukraine” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
Speaker Johnson said he would not act until the Senate passes legislation. “I’m begging them for their work because the time is urgent and we want to do the right thing,” he told reporters.
Approaching winter, with tens of thousands of dead Ukrainians, a gaping budget deficit and Russian advances in the east, Zelensky is asking Washington to provide the much-needed support.
Wearing a black blouse and olive green trousers, Zelensky was greeted with sustained applause as he entered a closed-door meeting with US senators, with Democratic and Republican leaders in the chamber pledging their support, Reuters reported.
Zelensky wants the US to unleash aid to Ukraine days before the congressional recess
Ukraine manages to stop Russian forces, but Putin presses on despite heavy losses
The Ukrainian president believes that the meeting in The congress took place in a “friendly and frank” atmosphere. “I told the senators about the current security and energy situation in Ukraine and the importance of maintaining vital American support. Answered their questions,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
Republicans control the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives. They call for more funding to be given to protect the US’ own borders instead of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, thereby block the $160 billion packagerequested by Biden and the Democrats.
Zelensky from the USA: Putin is not fighting only with Ukraine, but with a united Europe
On Tuesday, he will meet with his American counterpart, Joe Biden
US senators have been unable to agree on the bill since September, and on December 7 it failed to garner the necessary number of votes for approval. Washington has warned that without the approval of additional funding, funds to support Ukraine will run out by the end of the year. The head of the office of the Ukrainian president Andriy Yermak admitted that Kyiv can be defeated without US help. Politico also wrote that Ukraine’s existing reserves of funds will only last until the end of December.
2023-12-12 19:52:36
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