Republicans give Selensky a cool reception
Ukrainian President Zelensky's third trip to Washington is different from the first two. Instead of making speeches in front of Congress, he meets senators behind the scenes. The Republicans in particular are behaving much more cautiously.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Washington for urgently needed US military aid for his country, which is under attack from Russia, but has apparently fallen on deaf ears with key decision-makers. The Republican chairman of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, was clear after his meeting with Zelensky: the Biden administration is asking parliament to release billions for Ukraine, but is not presenting a clear strategy as to how the country intends to win the war with this support. There needs to be clarity about what is being done with the money in Ukraine and how the spending should be monitored. Meanwhile, time is running out for Zelensky.
The release of new US aid for Ukraine is currently being blocked by a dispute in the US parliament. More and more Republicans are expressing doubts about support for Ukraine or rejecting it altogether. The majority of US President Joe Biden's Democrats, on the other hand, are in favor of new support for Ukraine - but do not have the necessary majority to get it through parliament on their own. The clock is ticking, because according to the US government, the funds approved so far will be used up by the end of the year.
Further aid is on the brink
The Chairman of the House of Representatives, Johnson, has now emphasized that national security must come first in all spending. He once again described the situation on the USA's southern border with Mexico as an "absolute catastrophe". The US Republicans want to link the release of further aid for Ukraine to new funds for border protection. Johnson made it clear that the House of Representatives could well go on Christmas vacation before a vote on new Ukraine aid. The Republican minority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, also made it clear that although he is a staunch supporter of Ukraine, the release of aid must be linked to investments in border protection.
By contrast, the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, spoke of a "powerful meeting" with Zelensky. During the talks with senators behind closed doors, Zelensky explained in great detail what kind of help he needed and how it would help Ukraine to win. He also made it clear that a Putin victory would also be "very, very dangerous for the United States".
A meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House is scheduled for the afternoon (local time). It is Zelensky's third visit to Washington since the start of the Russian war of aggression. It stands in stark contrast to his trip to the US capital a year ago. Back then, he was able to give a speech to both chambers of Congress and was celebrated like a hero.
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Source: www.ntv.de
