Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky won a promise of “significant” new air defense weapons from the White House Thursday but warned that Kyiv could lose the war with Russia if Republican lawmakers cut the flow of billions of dollars in US military aid.
Wearing his trademark olive green military-style shirt, Zelensky huddled with members of Congress before stopping at the Pentagon and the White House, where President Joe Biden greeted him with an honor guard.
“Very important,” he told reporters when asked about how vital his talks with Biden would be.
This was his second wartime visit to Washington, but Zelensky faced a trickier political landscape than when he arrived to a hero’s welcome in December 2022.
Biden warmly received the embattled Ukrainian leader. However, the White House said there was no deal to provide the long-range missiles that Zelensky has repeatedly requested.
And in Congress, Republican and Democratic leaders are locked in a bitter spending battle that could spark a US government shutdown, with a $24 billion aid package for Ukraine at risk.
The hard-right faction dominating the Republican Party is increasingly adamant that the aid spigot should be turned off, with Congress having already approved $100 billion in aid to date, including $43 billion in weaponry.
“To win, we must all stand together and work together,” Zelensky said on social media, adding that he counted on “constant support” from the United States against Russia.
The Ukrainian leader arrived right after another wave of Russian missile strikes. The attacks — hitting cities across the country — killed at least three people in Kherson and wounded many in other areas.
Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer, a major supporter of Biden’s pro-Ukraine policies, said Zelensky had told him “if we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war.”
– ‘Significant’ –
As part of his bid to win over Washington, Zelensky went to the Pentagon where he laid a wreath at a memorial for victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he was confident that the deep US political divide would not stop the flow of aid to Ukraine.
“I continue to remain of the view that when all is said and done… there will be strong bipartisan support to continue funding Ukraine,” Sullivan told reporters.
Biden was set to announce a major new arms package including “significant air defense capabilities to help Ukraine,” Sullivan added.
But in a blow to Zelensky, he said Biden had rejected for now a request for longer-range ATACMS missiles that can strike up to 300 kilometers (190 miles) away.
Zelensky said he had “great dialogue” on Capitol Hill earlier, despite the lack of fanfare compared to his visit nine months ago.
He got a notably discreet welcome from the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, who is having trouble keeping a lid on internal party squabbling over US spending in Ukraine. Some Republicans say the money could be better spent on US border security, while there are also concerns about the pace of Kyiv’s counteroffensive and that corruption in Ukraine means the money will go to waste.
– ‘Enough is enough’ –
The doubts are being fueled by messaging from former president and likely 2024 candidate Donald Trump, who has opposed more funding and frequently expressed admiration for Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
It’s a trend that has also reached parts of the generally more pro-Ukraine Republicans in the Senate, where Senator Roger Marshall said Congress should not be “sending another blank check to Zelensky.”
A group of six senators led by Republican J.D. Vance issued a joint letter declaring that “enough is enough” and vowing to block all future funding requests.
Earlier this week, Zelensky attended the UN General Assembly meeting in New York where he urged the world to stand firm with Ukraine against Russia’s “genocide.”
His warning came a day before Poland said it would no longer arm Ukraine in a mounting row over grain exports. But on Thursday, the Polish prime minister said he had been “misinterpreted” and Warsaw clarified that it would fulfill existing arms supply deals. – Danny KEMP and Camille CAMDESSUS
