Ukraine’s top politician has launched a brutal campaign in DC

The first thing that was known about Ruslan Stefanchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Parliament, was his size.

Dressed in black, military fatigues, Stefanchuk was a towering figure this week standing next to Americans and politicians barely reaching his shoulders.

In his first trip to Washington last week, Stefanchuk held meetings with the White House, the Pentagon and Capitol Hill as part of Ukraine’s senior delegation to advocate for continued US support for Kyiv, and as he said, “look the interlocutors in the eye.”

“I came here to share the success of Ukraine, and I came to say that Ukraine still needs support and we cannot leave it half way,” he said in an interview with The Hill, through a translator.

As Stefanchuk gave an impression of a brick wall, he was a politician and quickly gave a smile and a handshake. He was elected chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Parliament of Ukraine, in October 2021.

“If Stefanchuk is the one in the parliament, I don’t like to go against the boys on the field!” Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Hill.

Ruslan Stefanchuk (center) and senior Ukrainian officials meet with House lawmakers on Capitol Hill. “If Stefanchuk is the one in the parliament, I don’t like to go against the boys on the field!” Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Hill. (Vadym Sarakhan / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine)

Stefanchuk is first in line for succession if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is unable to serve, which appeared to be a definite possibility in the early days of the Russian invasion, when the assassins were reported the attack on the streets of Kyiv to kill the president.

Biden officials say they will support Ukraine as long as it can resist Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goal of controlling the country. But Zelensky’s senior aides are facing tough questions in Washington about Ukraine’s military strategy for victory and its spending of billions of dollars on high-profile, Western-provided armor. and power – especially their commanders suggest that the war is in trouble.

Stefanchuk was in Washington last week with Andriy Yermak, the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, among other officials.

“Ukraine is currently preparing a detailed military plan that includes time frames and includes financial resources to deliver the expected results,” Stefanchuk said, amid warnings from Kyiv that more weapons are needed. more and more to change the battle.

“We are preparing to share this plan with our partners,” he added, but he would not give further details.

Ruslan Stefanchuk (third from the left) meets with Republican senators along with a senior Ukrainian representative in Washington, DC “I came here to share the successes of Ukraine and I came to say that Ukraine still needs support and we can’t stop the storm,” said Stefanchuk. (Vadym Sarakhan / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine)

President Biden’s request for about $60 billion in military and other aid for Ukraine has stalled on Capitol Hill, with Republicans demanding that Democrats pass immigration reform before they do. agreed to more aid for Kyiv.

The Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson (R-La.) took a hard line with the White House, saying that additional funds for Ukraine are “dependent on the enactment of changes in the defense laws the boundaries of our nation.”

Stefanchuk, in his account of his meeting with Johnson at an event at the Atlantic Council on Thursday, said that he “believes” that the Speaker “will do everything possible to help Ukraine as soon as possible.”

“The meeting with Speaker Johnson was very warm and quite friendly, and I want to thank Speaker Johnson for – we found common ground on all issues,” he told Washington-based think tank tank.

“We talked about the most challenging questions about the aid to Ukraine, he assured me that the issue of supporting Ukraine is a priority issue for the House of Representatives. I I believe it will be a very interesting meeting.”

Even if the majority of the Republican lawmakers support the financing of Ukraine, a small number of conservatives have already shown that they can freeze the business of the House on their wishes. If the Senate can pass a deal linking aid to Kyiv and border changes, some Ukraine skeptics in the House said a border bill should be passed first, before help in Ukraine.

In September, Zelensky left a meeting with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) with a warning that his commitment to deliver aid to Ukraine would not be “easy.”

McCarthy was ousted from leadership in October for working with Democrats on a government funding bill, but GOP lawmakers also blocked McCarthy from holding a vote on Biden’s first bid to $ 14 billion in additional funds for Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Republican supporters know the stakes are high as Congress heads into the Christmas recess without granting Biden’s defense request for a 2024 supplemental budget. The total request reaches $ 111 billion, including priorities for Ukraine, Israel, Indo-Pacific and immigration.

“We want to help Ukraine and Israel, but we have to let the Democrats know that the trade here, the trade, we keep the border open,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in the Tuesday after leaving a special announcement. in Ukraine.

Republicans are more divided who support military aid to Ukraine but are not interested in providing economic aid to Kyiv.

“I’m in favor of weapons and military equipment, but I’m not in favor of continuing without financial support,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Idaho), the fourth-ranking Republican in the Senate, on the Hill. in September.

“I think our friends and allies in Europe can do that. Let us be the weapons of democracy and provide what they need to win the war, but our friends and partners can step in.” on humanitarian aid.

The European Union exists promised economic aid than the US ($83 billion compared to $25 billion) during the war, according to the Kiel Institute Ukraine Tracker, but only 31 percent of the total commitment was given by the EU, compared to the US gives 87 percent of its commitments.

In the midst of the war in the US, which provides a lot of aid for Ukraine, the crisis in the European unity also threatens to give a lot of aid.

Hungary’s right-wing prime minister Viktor Orbán EU efforts are on hold it follows a five-year economic commitment of 50 billion euros (about $54 billion).

As democracies struggle to provide continued support for Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown his strength in defying international sanctions designed to cripple its economy and strangle its war machine.

Partnerships with China, Iran and North Korea and relations with Gulf countries that are part of the OPEC group of oil producing countries have helped Putin survive.

And the death of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in August removed one of the few prominent and powerful critics of Putin’s war.

Russia is digging into Ukrainian territory in the east of the country, including the territory it has held since 2014; eastern districts of Donetsk, Luhansk and the Crimean peninsula.

Ukrainian officials have declared success in pushing Russia out of about 50 percent of the territory since the start of the Kremlin’s all-out offensive on February 24.

But a detailed by the Washington Post Ukraine recovered about 200 square miles of territory during the summer, compared to 8,610 square miles recovered in 2022.

Kyiv’s slow and expensive gains over the summer have raised the possibility of peace talks with Putin and the Russian forces stationed on Ukrainian territory. It’s an opportunity Washington reportsbut confidential, broached with Ukraine.

More uncertainty is looking ahead to the 2024 US election. Former President Trump, the first candidate for the Republican nomination, boasted that he could reach a peace agreement between Putin and Zelensky within 24 hours. He largely avoided questions about what should be abandoned by Ukraine.

Stefanchuk denied that Ukraine would trade any territory as part of a peace agreement with Russia.

“Our position is very clear, and until now, the only international negotiations that can be done with Russia are negotiations on the terms of Putin’s authority,” he said.

When asked about the potential for a second Trump administration, Stefanhcuk pointed to the importance for Ukraine of maintaining strong American support in general, across party lines.

“When it comes to the election in the United States, this is the issue of America in the country, and we will not interfere with this question, and it depends on the United States,” he said.

“Ukraine greatly appreciates the bipartisan support it has enjoyed, and it is important that the US continues to support it because Ukraine’s greatest sons and daughters have died today defending democratic values.”