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Zelensky will first meet with senators, then with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R), before later heading to the White House to meet with President Biden.
The mission, which comes a week before lawmakers are expected to leave town for the holidays, is crucial, said one of Zelensky’s senior aides: Ukraine’s military needs help in the present time. “It’s a matter of life and death for Ukraine,” said the senior adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss discussions with senior US officials. “Time is of the essence: That’s the message.”
To date, Congress has provided more than $111 billion to support Ukraine, but lawmakers failed to comply with Biden’s request earlier this fall for a An additional $61 billion for next year, part of a larger emergency request that will also provide defense assistance. in Israel, Taiwan and the American border.
Public support for Ukraine has plummeted in recent months, and Republican lawmakers — especially in the House of Representatives, where the right wing of the party wields much influence — have indicating a rapid decline in appetite for funding Ukraine’s war effort.
A growing number of Republicans in both chambers have said in recent weeks that they will not accept Ukraine’s aid unless it comes with a major strengthening of US policy.
Zelensky had planned last week to almost address the House and Senate talks on Ukraine, but the Ukrainian leader canceled that appearance shortly before the discussion erupted into an outcry on the US border regulations. Many Republicans left.
“My advice to the White House is, the President made a commitment to Zelensky. To honor that commitment, they will need to secure the border,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R -Utah) to reporters on Monday. “If I were the president, I would twist all the hands of Democrats and maybe some Republicans, and say, ‘Get the job done.'”
Minority Leader of the Senate Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), one of the main Republican supporters of Ukraine, has also joined his meeting in requesting immigration changes to support the additional funding budget.
“When it comes to keeping America safe, border security is no show,” McConnell said Monday. “There is no point. Senate Republicans have run out of time to explain this fact. “
Biden announced last week that he would be willing to accept more restrictions on immigration in order to reach an agreement, but negotiations between the two sides have failed to reach one, and only a few days for the lawmakers to do before their vacation – a This is the goal that one of the best negotiators said they will not meet.
Zelensky, meanwhile, on Monday warned an audience of US and international military officials gathered at the National Defense University in Washington that his government’s chances of victory depended on balance. .
“When the free world slows down,” Zelensky said, “that’s when politicians celebrate… If anyone is motivated by unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it’s only (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his sick team.”
“It is very important that politics does not try to betray the soldier,” Zelensky added later in his speech. “Just as weapons are necessary for their protection, freedom always requires unity.”
The Biden administration last week announced $175 million in additional aid for the defense of Ukraine, but warned that without congressional approval, this would be some of the last aid that could be given.
Both the administration and Zelensky’s government have warned that Kyiv could lose its ability to pay public workers, including first responders, without aid. A Ukrainian lawmaker said last week that America’s current support for the war is about a third of the country’s budget.
In his full speech on Monday, Zelensky highlighted the spread of democratic ideas and success, and tried to position his country as a bulwark against Putin’s expansionist ambitions in Europe.
“You can count on Ukraine. And we hope the same can be expected of you,” he said.
Theodoric Meyer, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Tyler Pager contributed to this report.