Was he convincing enough? Vladimir Zelensky, who came to Washington to seek guarantees of renewed support, faced divisions in the American political class on Tuesday. Despite lengthy debate in the US Congress, the Ukrainian president, wearing a black sweater and khaki trousers, arrived at the White House earlier in the day with no guarantees for his country at war but spoke of a “friendly and frank” dialogue with the US. Republican parliamentarians.
The organization has committed more than $110 billion since the Russian invasion began but has so far failed to agree on an extension requested by the White House until at least the November 2024 presidential election in the United States.
In theory, elected officials have only until Friday, when parliament recess begins, to reach an agreement on the $61 billion package. The White House has warned it will “run out of money” by the end of the year if nothing is done.
Democrats support this new envelope. Republicans are not entirely against it, but they intend to tie their support to a long-standing domestic political demand: a major tightening of United States immigration policies.
“Christmas gift” to Putin
“The American Congress must pass an extension for Ukraine (…) before it offers Putin the best Christmas gift ever,” Joe Biden warned during a meeting with the Ukrainian president in the Office Oval. And the American president, during his speech, promised that he would not “turn his back” on Kyiv.
Ukrainian troops are “proving every day that Ukraine can defeat” Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said during the interview, brushing off doubts raised by some after his army’s disappointing counteroffensive this summer.
These doubts were especially expressed by the head of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson. “It appears that the Biden administration wants to get billions of additional dollars without proper oversight, without any real strategy for winning,” the elected official said after an interview with the Ukrainian head of state.
The head of the Democratic majority in the Senate, the other chamber of Congress, insisted on problems with providing aid to Ukraine. “If we lose, Putin will win, and that will be very dangerous for the United States,” Chuck Schumer said after meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as Russia claims “significant” military gains in the Zaporozhye region of southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, whose third visit to the US Congress since Russia invaded his country in February 2022, spoke on the social network X about a “friendly and frank” conversation with senators.
Ukraine fears that a prolonged blockage of American aid could also affect European military aid. Vladimir Zelensky and Joe Biden were scheduled to speak at a press conference after their meeting in the Oval Office, scheduled for 16:15 local time (21:15 GMT).
Russia is on the offensive again
On Tuesday, the Kremlin calculated that any new American aid would be doomed to a “fiasco.” Russia, which has devoted its economy to military needs, is increasingly moving into the east and south of Ukraine. The Russian army has made “significant” progress in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Zaporozhye, Moscow-appointed governor Yevgeny Balitsky said on Tuesday.
The Russians also launched a “massive offensive” two days ago around Avdeevka and Marinka, hotspots on the eastern front, the Ukrainian commander in the area, Alexander Tarnavsky, said, assuring that his troops were “firmly holding” their positions. AFP was unable to verify these claims by the warring parties.
According to U.S. intelligence, Russia’s advance is coming at a huge cost: 315,000 Russian soldiers have been wounded or killed since the invasion of Ukraine began, according to a declassified and congressional document released during the Ukrainian president’s visit. to Washington.
Russia, which continues its daily attacks on Ukraine, is also suspected of being behind a “massive” computer hack that paralyzed Ukraine’s first mobile operator, Kyivstar, according to Ukrainian security services.
Source: Le Parisien
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