White House warns of ‘dire’ Ukraine fate

US President Joe Biden warned top congressional leaders of the dire cost of failing to help Ukraine, as high-stakes talks at the White House ended without a deal.

Biden called the rare Oval Office meeting on Tuesday to persuade Republican House speaker Mike Johnson to unblock vital aid for Kyiv, and avoid a government shutdown at home.

The leaders said they were optimistic they could keep the government’s lights on – but on Ukraine they remained deadlocked, with Johnson insisting on the need for more border reforms first.

“On Ukraine, I think the need is urgent,” said Biden, who was flanked by VicePresident Kamala Harris for the meeting at the historic office.

He added that the “consequence of inaction every day in Ukraine is dire”.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Ukraine desperately needs more Western support to defeat Russia’s invasion, and voiced hope the United States would approve the stalled package that includes US$60 billion (RM286 billion) of weapons and other aid.

But Johnson, a Donald Trump ally who leads a razor-thin Republican majority in the House of Representatives, has refused to even allow a vote on a supplemental funding bill containing the Ukraine aid.

Johnson, who also held a one-on-one meeting with Biden, insisted the crisis on the Mexican border was his priority.

He said the House would deal with the supplemental bill “in a timely manner, but again the first priority of the country is our border and making sure it’s secure”.

Biden met Johnson and his Democratic counterpart Hakeem Jeffries, as well as the Senate’s Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and opposition chief Mitch McConnell.

“It was the consensus in that room Zelensky and Ukraine will lose the war” without help, Schumer said.