Zelensky invokes Christmas in US visit to plead for war funding
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Washington: His country’s future at stake, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used inspirational words, resolve and a nod to Christmas in appealing to leaders in Congress for US aid for his fighters in the war with Russia.
But after hours of talks on Capitol Hill, additional American support appeared in grave doubt as Zelensky arrived at the White House to huddle with US President Joe Biden. The US has already provided Ukraine with $US111 billion ($169 billion) since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his grinding invasion more than 21 months ago, but Republicans are insisting on linking any more money to strict US-Mexico border security changes that Democrats decry.
US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.Credit: AP
The White House is warning that if new money isn’t provided by year’s end it will have swift consequences for Ukraine’s capacity to hold its territory, let alone take back land captured by Russia.
Meeting with Zelensky in the Oval Office, Biden said, “Mr President, I call on Congress to do the right thing, to stand with Ukraine, and to stand up for freedom.” He added, “Congress needs to pass the supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday recess, before they give Putin the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him.”
Zelensky made his own case during his brief White House appearance with Biden and his private meetings with congressional leaders – that Ukrainian forces have fought fiercely to push back the Russian invasion with the help of American and other Western allies and it’s no time for Ukraine’s friends to step back.
“The fight we’re in is a fight for freedom,” Zelensky repeatedly said in the meetings, according to politicians.
Flanked by Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Zelensky entered a private meeting with senators with a public bipartisan show of support and to some applause. But more than an hour later few senators’ minds appeared changed.
Schumer called it a “very powerful” meeting, but gave no update on stalled negotiations.
Zelensky also visited the House leaders, including privately with new Speaker Mike Johnson, whose hard-right Republicans have been the most resistance to any deal. Johnson insisted afterward: “We do want to do the right thing here.”
The White House said the time was right for Zelensky’s trip to Washington as Biden pushes politicians approve the aid package before the year-end holidays. A top spokesman said the US can’t let Ukraine aid lapse, especially as the Israel-Hamas war takes attention, and that the president was willing to make compromises with Republicans.
“This additional funding will absolutely help Ukraine claw back even more of their territory and kick the Russians right out of Ukraine,” said the White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on NBC.
However, prospects for a congressional deal on Ukraine funding seemed all but out of reach.
Zelensky impressed on the senators that Ukraine could win the war against Russia, telling them he was drafting men in their 30s and 40s in a show of strength for the battle. In his trademark olive drab, he stood before a portrait of George Washington, history hanging behind him.
To the House Democrats, he showcased his country’s embrace of the West by pointing to the Christmas season, telling them it was the first year Ukraine would celebrate on December 25 rather than January 7, when Russians mark the holiday.
McConnell said afterward Zelensky was “inspirational and determined”.
Biden has expressed a willingness to engage with the Republicans as migrant crossings have hit record highs along the US-Mexico border, but Democrats in his own party oppose proposals for expedited deportations and strict asylum standards as a return to Trump-era hostility towards migrants.
With talks at a standstill, one chief Republican negotiator, Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, said there was nothing Zelensky could say during his visit with the senators to sway the outcome.
Ahead of Zelensky’s high-stakes meetings, the White House late Monday pointed to newly declassified intelligence that shows Ukraine has inflicted heavy losses on Russia in recent fighting along the Avdiivka-Novopavlivka axis – including 13,000 casualties and over 220 combat vehicle losses. The Ukrainian holdout in the country’s partly occupied east has been the centre of some of the fiercest fighting in recent weeks.
US intelligence officials have determined that the Russians think if they can achieve a military deadlock through the winter it will drain Western support for Ukraine and ultimately give Russia the advantage, despite the fact that Russians have sustained heavy losses and have been slowed by persistent shortages of trained personnel, munitions and equipment.
AP
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