Zelensky pleads for more US aid, amid Republicans' floundering support

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Dec 2023 11:21

Republicans are becoming increasingly vocal in their opposition to providing financial support to Ukraine, contending that President Joe Biden should prioritize domestic security concerns.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kharkov, Ukraine, on November 30. (AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit Congress and the White House on Tuesday to seek increased US military assistance.

However, the Republican Party appears largely unresponsive to his growingly urgent appeals. Throughout the nearly two-year war in Ukraine, the United States has spearheaded a Western coalition, providing substantial financial support in the form of weaponry and ammunition.

But Republicans are ever-more openly rejecting the need to fund Ukraine, saying that President Joe Biden needs to devote more attention to domestic security, particularly to stopping illegal migration over the US-Mexican border.

The Republicans are also questioning whether Ukraine should keep fighting at all.

Zelensky, who arrived fresh from a diplomatic push with world leaders at the inauguration of Argentine President Javier Milei over the weekend, will meet Biden at the White House. They will also hold a joint press conference.

Biden is a key supporter of Zelensky, framing the Ukrainian war effort as part of a global struggle between "democracies and aggressive autocracies."

But at Capitol Hill, Zelensky will face his real test when he addresses Republican and Democratic senators and meets with the new Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.

In a speech on Monday at the National Defense University in Washington, Zelensky said politics should not "betray" Ukraine's soldiers and he echoed Biden in saying that the struggle had global implications.

"Putin must lose," he said.

A division in US Congress

In further detail, Zelensky held meetings with the leaders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. The IMF disclosed the approval of a fresh $900 million installment as part of an existing long-term loan.

Last week, Republican senators blocked a White House request for $106 billion in emergency aid, primarily designated for Ukraine and "Israel". This comes as the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli genocide has tragically increased to 18,000, with 42,230 reported injured.

Conservatives insisted on linking their approval of the package for these close foreign allies to Democrats and the White House agreeing to comprehensive immigration reforms.

Notably, key Republican Senator James Lankford expressed skepticism, stating that reaching a deal by the end of the week seemed unlikely. The broader sentiment within the Republican right wing, led by former President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump, has significantly turned against Ukraine's cause. Influential Republicans are increasingly questioning the rationale behind the United States supporting what they perceive as Ukraine's unattainable goal of pushing back all Russian forces.