US President Joe Biden issued a grim warning on Tuesday in the presence of his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyi, saying that Vladimir Putin “expects” to end US aid to Ukraine, AFP reports.
Having arrived in Washington in search of reassurances regarding the renewal of support for his country at war, the Ukrainian president said he had received “positive” signals from the US Congress, despite very slow negotiations on the adoption of a new package for Kyiv, according to Agerpres.
The window of opportunity for Congress to pass $61 billion in aid before the end of the year is very small.
Congress has appropriated more than $110 billion since the start of the Russian invasion, but has so far failed to agree on an extension the White House has requested, at least until the November 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“The US Congress must pass an extension on Ukraine (…) before you give Putin the best Christmas present,” warned Joe Biden during a meeting with the President of Ukraine in the Oval Office.
“Ukraine can win,” Zelensky told Biden at the White House
Ukrainian troops “prove every day that Ukraine can win” against Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said during the debate, dispelling doubts expressed by some after the disappointing counteroffensive by the Ukrainian military this summer.
In particular, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, whose camp is increasingly skeptical of new military aid to Kyiv, raises doubts.
“The Biden administration seems to want to get billions of additional dollars without proper oversight, without a real strategy for victory,” he said after meeting with the Ukrainian head of state.
The head of the democratic majority in the Senate insisted on helping Ukraine.
“If we lose, Putin wins, and that will be very dangerous for the United States,” Chuck Schumer said after meeting with President Zelensky, and Russia claims “significant” military progress in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region.
During his third visit to Congress after the Russian invasion of his country in February 2022, the President of Ukraine mentioned on the social network X about a “friendly and sincere” conversation with US senators.
Deadline for reaching an agreement: Friday
Ukraine fears that the permanent blockade of American aid may affect European military aid as well. “It is very important that by the end of the year we can send a very powerful signal of unity,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press conference with US President Joe Biden.
In theory, elected officials only have until Friday, when the parliamentary recess begins, to reach a deal on the $61 billion.
The White House has warned that it will “run out of money” by the end of the year if nothing is done.
Democrats support the spending. Republicans are not outright opposed, but they plan to tie the bailout deal to a longstanding domestic policy demand: significantly tougher immigration policies.
On Tuesday, the Kremlin assessed that any new American aid is doomed to failure.
Source: Hot News
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