President Joe Biden hosts Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at the White House on Tuesday. The focus is on the ongoing fight against Russian aggression and continued US support for kyiv.
On the morning of December 12, Zelensky, who is in Washington for the second day, also speaks before senators. Later he will meet with the new speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson.
At 4:15 p.m., Biden and Zelensky will hold a joint press conference.
Recall that last week, Republican senators blocked the White House’s request for $106 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine and Israel.
The White House told Congress on December 4 that after the end of the year the government would no longer have funds to supply weapons to Ukraine.
Conservatives have said they will refuse to pass the relief package unless Democrats and the White House agree to sweeping immigration reforms.
US media reported that influential Republican Senator James Lankford said on Monday that a deal would probably not be possible before the end of this week.
“I’m increasingly pessimistic,” Senator Susan Collins told reporters.
There are only three days left before Congress adjourns. On Tuesday, Johnson said he was still waiting for a response from the White House.
“They didn’t give anything back,” he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. He also demanded that the president be directly involved in the negotiations, saying they “should have been done a long time ago.”
“The best thing for the United States is to recognize that Ukraine will have to cede some territory to the Russians and that we need to end the war,” Senator JD Vance, a close ally of Donald Trump, said on Sunday.
President Biden warns that if such an event occurs, Putin could attack a NATO country, threatening a clash between the United States and Russia.
“As winter approaches, we are seeing an increase in Russian military drone and missile attacks against civilian infrastructure,” National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said Monday. “We expect this to continue, especially against energy infrastructure.”
According to White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, recently declassified US intelligence shows that “Russia appears to believe that a military stalemate over the winter will deprive Ukraine of Western support” and ultimately give Russia an advantage despite its losses.
“History will judge harshly those who turn their backs on the cause of freedom,” President Biden said.
About 41% of Americans polled by Reuters/Ipsos last month supported arms sales to Ukraine. 32% were against (the rest found it difficult to respond).
