Volodymyr Zelenskyy:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will go to the White House and Capitol Hill in the United States on Tuesday (December 12) to seek support for Ukraine and try to save the value of the U.S. Senate. A $60 billion defense package for Ukraine.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer welcomed Zelensky’s visit on Monday and said there was an urgent need to pass a national security supplement bill to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“This will be President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s third meeting with senators since the war began and the most important of all his visits,” Schumer said. “The war in Ukraine is at a crossroads, and our friends desperately need U.S. assistance.” To maintain pressure on Vladimir Putin.”
Schumer said Zelensky warned the last time he spoke on the Senate floor that Ukraine would lose the war without more aid. Speaking to U.S. military officers at the National Defense University in Washington on Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that “if anyone is inspired by the unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it’s Vladimir Putin and his sick cohorts.”
Aiding Ukraine and resisting Putin, Schumer said, is vital to our national security.”If Senate Republicans can’t show they are serious about finalizing a deal on a national security package, he said, Putin will travel through Ukraine to Europe.
Last week, the U.S. Congress was still unable to pass the White House’s request for $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. Republicans say border security must be included to address their concerns about U.S. funding of foreign conflicts at the expense of domestic priorities. Schumer criticized last week: “It is Republicans who are linking funding for Ukraine to unrelated border issues, causing unnecessary trouble for funding for Ukraine.”
Schumer reiterated on Monday that if Republicans continue to insist on former president Donald Trump’s border policies, then they will bear the blame when Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza humanitarian aid deals all fall apart. He said Democrats were committed to reaching a reasonable bipartisan compromise to pass the aid package.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Schumer both invited Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speak at a meeting of the full Senate on Tuesday. Although McConnell is a staunch supporter of aid to Ukraine, he emphasized that to win Republican votes, the Republican border security proposal must be included.
McConnell said on Monday that “for all its flaws, the Joe Biden administration’s supplemental request to Congress does correctly identify four particularly urgent national security priorities: defeating Russia’s invasion of Europe, Iran-backed terrorist activities in the Middle East, stopping China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, and ensuring the security of the U.S. southern border.” He shouted to Biden, “When it comes to maintaining U.S. security, border security is not a sideshow, but the core.” He also expected the Biden administration to make “major compromises” on border policy.
Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said last week that there is still $1.1 billion left to replenish the stockpile of weapons and equipment sent by the U.S. military to Ukraine. The White House also warned last week that the United States has about $4.8 billion left to provide aid to Ukraine, which will be exhausted by the end of this year.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden will “underscore America’s unwavering support for the people of Ukraine” in their war with Russia during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday.
Exciting news! Meritnews24 is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest insights!”Click here!