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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to the press following a meeting with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva at the IMF in Washington, U.S., December 11, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson/File Photo
By Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is making a last-ditch plea to U.S. lawmakers to keep military support flowing as he battles Russia, in visits to the White House and Capitol Hill. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, and Zelenskiy is pulling out all the stops to secure the necessary funding to combat the ongoing conflict.
Heading into winter, with tens of thousands of Ukrainians dead, a yawning budget deficit and Russian advances in the East, Zelenskiy is scheduled to press U.S. lawmakers to replenish nearly depleted funding, before meeting with President Joe Biden. It’s a high-stakes situation that requires urgent attention and decisive action.
“If there’s anyone inspired by unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it’s just (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his sick clique,” Zelenskiy said at a speech in Washington on Monday to a U.S. military audience. He’s not mincing words as he highlights the gravity of the situation.
Ukraine is having success stopping Russian forces, but Putin is continuing to order his troops forward despite heavy losses of troops and equipment since October. The stakes are high, and the need for support is urgent.
There are just three days before Congress recesses for the year on Friday, and Republicans in the House of Representatives have until now refused to pass a $106 billion supplemental bill that contains Ukraine aid without unrelated, fiercely disputed changes to U.S. immigration. This politics-laden situation is adding a layer of complexity to an already dire situation.
Putin, who said last week he would run for president again in 2024, is betting he can outlast Western aid and attention to score a major strategic victory against the West, Zelenskiy and Biden aides believe. The view is shared by European lawmakers who will send their own last-minute plea to Congress Tuesday. The urgency and significance of the situation cannot be understated.
Biden has cast the situation in stark terms, saying “history is going to judge harshly those who turn their back on freedom’s cause.” The moral and historical implications of the conflict are in the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Ultimately, U.S. troops could be forced to fight Russia, Biden and others warn, if an unchecked Putin invades a European ally covered by NATO’s mutual defense commitments. This grim reality underscores why the situation needs urgent attention and resolution.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said in a letter to the Biden administration released last week that lawmakers need more detail on the administration’s objectives in Ukraine and linked the issue to immigration. The political nuances of the situation are complicating matters and adding obstacles to the resolution of the conflict.
The White House told Congress on Dec. 4 the government will no longer have funding to provide more weapons for Ukraine after the end of the year. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated as time is running out.