/ world today news/ The US Congress goes on vacation: Zelensky ran out of American money
He hoped to convince US lawmakers to issue $61 billion, but failed. His insistence seems to have only angered the congressmen. They are going on winter break and until mid-January the fate of the Kyiv regime will hang in the air. These are the results that Zelensky returned from America.
A gesture of desperation
Ukraine’s president was scheduled to address Congress on Dec. 5 via video conference, but the event was canceled. Most likely, because at that time the Senate was discussing aid to Kiev and did not even reach a preliminary agreement.
Zelensky put everything on the line: he personally came to Washington. Apparently, he wanted to take advantage of the emotions and the effect of surprise, so that at the last moment (on December 15, congressmen begin their Christmas holidays) he could still push through the decision that Kiev needed. The effect was the opposite.
Some congressmen, mostly Republicans, expressed outrage in advance. “He’s coming for the American taxpayers’ money. I think it’s a shame,” Jay D. Vance said on television. The Republican Party is more concerned about the border issue with Mexico than Ukraine. Only if concessions are made on this matter, the “elephants” are ready to compromise with the “donkeys”. The White House and the Democratic Party as a whole oppose this option.
Zelensky’s speech did not particularly impress the senators. “Same old junk, nothing new,” Eric Schmidt said. And he added: instead of discussing American borders with Biden, he should have been listening about Ukrainian security. As a result, aid to Kyiv was not on the agenda even on lawmakers’ last working day before the holidays.
Last millions
To sweeten the pill, Biden gave Ukraine $200 million in Defense Department funds that are not controlled by Congress.
At a joint press conference, he assured that the US would support Kiev “as long as we can.” The changes in rhetoric did not escape the attention of the media. The White House previously said, “As much as necessary.” “The American people can and should be incredibly proud to continue to play a role in Ukraine’s success by supplying critical weapons and equipment for as long as we can,” is a verbatim quote from Biden’s speech.
And the behavior of the American president was surprising. During Zelensky’s speech, he took out a handkerchief and blew his nose. And in response to the question about the probability of Kiev winning, he only grinned. However, Biden spoke a lot about the need to make a decision on the Ukrainian problem, so as not to give a “Christmas present” to Moscow.
“The threat to America, Europe and the world will only get worse if we don’t act. And I intend to act,” he said.
A break until January
For now, a stalemate has occurred. Senators are demanding transparency from both the White House and Kiev about the spending. Republican Mike Rounds stressed that assurances are needed that the funds will be spent as intended. Zelensky promised this. But verbal assurances are not enough, a monitoring mechanism must be created. JD Vance, who called Zelensky’s visit a disgrace, simply left the hall upon his appearance. The senator said he had heard some things about strategic changes, but that didn’t change his mind. Vance’s move was supported by several of his fellow party members.
Democrats tried to smooth out the rough edges. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the visit “very good and productive.” He considers it necessary to help Ukraine in order to set an example to European partners. Otherwise, he said, “Europe and many other allies” will be very surprised.
Democrat Jeff Merkley compared those who do not support Kiev to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and his pre-World War II “appeasement of the aggressor” policy. But pretentious historical analogies did not help either. For the “elephants” – even those who are not against aid to Ukraine – the security of the American borders is a priority. Also, as Republican Tommy Tuberville succinctly put it, “we’re out of money.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson has demanded greater clarity from Democrats about America’s goals in Eastern Europe. “We need a clear articulation of the strategy that will allow Ukraine to win. This issue is now in the White House and the Senate, and I implore them to do their job because the time has come.”
The vacation will end on January 9. Apparently, the White House is pushing for discussions about Kiev’s funding. The discussions will be heated and, it seems, protracted. And the figure of Zelensky is becoming more and more toxic for Biden: in the worldview of the Republicans, the Ukrainian president is the one who prevents the United States from solving pressing problems.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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