Zelensky’s pleas for US aid hit GOP wall
Republicans push border deal in negotiations
WASHINGTON — President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine hit a brick wall of resistance from congressional Republicans on Tuesday as he made an urgent plea for quick approval of more aid for his country’s war against Russian invaders, while President Biden implored Republicans to change their minds.
“We stand at a real inflection point in history,” Biden said before he entered a closed-door meeting with Zelensky at the White House.
At a later news conference, the president added: “Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver on Ukraine. We must, we must, we must prove him wrong.”
But Senator Mitch McConnell, the top Republican, suggested that the effort was all but dead for the year, saying it would be “practically impossible” to pass a Ukraine and border security package before the holidays.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky held private meetings at the
Capitol with senators and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Zelensky said more US help was critical to his fight and to holding back further Russian advances into Europe.
Johnson and several Senate Republicans emerged from their meetings with him unmoved. They reiterated their stance that they would not agree to any new aid for Ukraine unless Biden and Democrats bowed to their demands to clamp down on migration at the southern border of the United States.
“Our first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security,” Johnson told reporters shortly after noting that he “reiterated” to Zelensky that “we stand with him against Putin’s brutal invasion.”
The last-ditch appeal by Zelensky came during one of the most significant moments of the war. While the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in aid, Ukraine’s top military commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, said last month that the war had reached a stalemate, as deadly battles yielded few territorial gains.
The White House and Ukraine have argued that if Ukraine loses the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin will be emboldened to advance his military aggression deeper into the West.
But the chances of Congress passing an assistance package for Ukraine before the end of the year have grown bleak after Republicans blocked the measure last week and polls showed Americans were skeptical of extending financial help.
Congressional leaders are toying with the idea of seeking to keep Congress in session next week to continue trying to hash out a deal on Ukraine funding and border security measures. But it is unclear if another few days will be enough time to strike such a bargain.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, said he called Johnson to urge him to keep the House in session to give negotiators time to keep working out a compromise.
While Johnson, who has voted repeatedly against aiding Ukraine, said he had a good meeting with Zelensky, he accused the White House of failing to articulate a clear path to Ukraine’s victory, which Republicans have also said is a necessary condition to unlocking military aid.