War in Ukraine: Biden invites Zelensky to White House on Tuesday

A visit at the decisive moment of the war in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has invited his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to come to Washington on Tuesday to discuss Ukraine’s “urgent needs”, a White House spokesman said on Sunday.

“As Russia escalates its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine, the two leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent needs and the vital importance of continued U.S. support at this critical moment,” Karine Jean-Pierre said in a press release.

The United States is currently the country providing the most military support to Kyiv, with Congress having pledged more than $110 billion since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Weakened support

But Joe Biden’s pledge to continue financial support for Ukraine is under threat from Congress. Last week, he blocked a major package of more than $106 billion that President Biden had pushed for, including funds for Ukraine and Israel.

Republican elected officials are demanding significant concessions on U.S. immigration policy in exchange for their votes. A disaster scenario for Kyiv, whose counter-offensive in the summer did not bring the expected territorial gains.

During his visit, Volodymyr Zelensky will also meet with the Republican leader in the House of Representatives to try to convince him to vote for the budget.

Blocking new funds would be the “greatest gift” offered to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden warned, reiterating that the Kremlin boss would “stop at nothing” if he succeeded in taking over Ukraine.