The United States has led Western support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Washington:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Thursday, as he faced Republican skeptics in the US Congress, that Kiev will lose the war against Russian invasion if the flow of billions of dollars in aid is curtailed.
Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer, a strong supporter of President Joe Biden’s pro-Ukrainian policies, said Zelensky told him: “If we don’t get the help, we will lose the war.”
The United States has led Western support for Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion in February 2022, with Congress approving more than $100 billion in aid to date, including $43 billion in weapons.
But the far-right faction that dominates the Republican Party is increasingly convinced that the aid tap must be turned off, with polls showing Republican voters are developing cold feet, partly due to reports from Donald Trump calling for a return to White House pursues. 2024.
This meant that Zelensky’s second wartime visit to Congress, followed by stops at the Pentagon and a meeting with Biden at the White House, was far more challenging than his dramatic first trip in December 2022, when he was welcomed as a hero.
Zelenskiy, wearing his signature olive green military-style shirt, said as he arrived in the US capital that he expected “important negotiations” and that “air defense for Ukraine is one of the most important issues.”
The Ukrainian leader arrived shortly after a new wave of Russian missile attacks. The attacks, which hit cities across the country, killed at least three people in Kherson and injured many in other areas.
– ‘Enough is enough’ –
Instead of the big televised address to lawmakers at the Capitol during his previous visit to Washington, this time Zelensky started with a meeting with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who offered only a discreet welcome.
McCarthy has struggled to contain the parties’ internal bickering over U.S. spending in Ukraine.
Some Republicans say the money would be better spent on US border security, while there are also concerns about the pace of Kiev’s counter-offensive and that corruption in Ukraine means the money will be lost.
It’s a trend that has also reached parts of the Republican Senate, where Senator Roger Marshall said Congress should not “send another blank check to Zelensky.”
A group of six senators issued a joint letter declaring that “enough is enough” and promising to block all future funding requests.
However, there was a more positive note from the moderate Republican head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, who said Zelensky had told him “he’s winning.”
“I asked what do you need? What is your plan for victory?,” McCaul told reporters, adding that Ukraine “is going to get” the $24 billion aid tranche the White House wants.
Earlier this week, Zelensky attended the UN General Assembly in New York, where he urged the world to stand firm with Ukraine against Russian ‘genocide’.
– ‘Brutalize Ukraine’ –
The White House said the Ukrainian leader’s visit came at a “really critical time” as Ukraine’s slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian forces continues ahead of winter.
Zelensky’s reported request for longer-range ATACMS missiles that can strike up to 300 kilometers (190 miles) is “not off the table,” but no decision has been made, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Biden has promised to support Kiev no matter what. His 2024 re-election campaign seeks to portray his continued support for Ukraine as a way to demonstrate his global leadership.
US President and First Lady Jill Biden will greet Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska at the White House before the two leaders have a face-to-face meeting in the Oval Office, according to US officials.
Biden “looks forward to getting a battlefield perspective directly from Ukraine’s commander in chief,” Kirby added.
Biden warned against abandoning Ukraine during his speech to the UN on Tuesday. “Russia believes that the world will grow tired and allow Ukraine to be brutal without consequences,” he said.
His warning came a day before Poland said it would no longer arm Ukraine in a growing row over grain exports. On Thursday, the country made clear that it would honor existing arms supply agreements.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)