A powerful US senator said on Sunday that he was “optimistic” about the possibility of reaching an agreement in the upper house of the US Congress on a major new aid package for Ukraine, in exchange for which Republicans are demanding tougher measures on immigration to the United States. This was reported by the France Presse and Agerpres agencies.
With President Joe Biden criticizing Republicans in Congress who are blocking his request for an additional $61 billion for Kiev, tense talks continued this weekend as the Senate adjourned for the end of the year to find a compromise.
“I’m very optimistic,” Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, told CNN, adding that he had spoken with colleagues from both camps. “It’s going in a positive direction,” he added.
The US Congress has approved an increase in aid to Ukraine following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, but the White House has warned that it will “run out of money” to support Kyiv by the end of the year.
Democrats support this new aid, but Republicans are demanding significantly tougher immigration policies in exchange for their support. Joe Biden said he was ready to make “significant compromises” on this issue to allow the situation to be unblocked.
“We’re not getting any closer to a deal,” says Republican Lindsey Graham instead
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a very conservative politician, was less optimistic than his colleague. “We’re not close to a deal yet,” he told NBC on Sunday, noting that talks should continue “next year.”
“I will not help Ukraine, Taiwan, or Israel until we secure our border,” he said.
But according to Joe Manchin, the compromise could be passed by votes of senators from both parties without the support of elected officials on the far right or the far left, who “won’t vote for it no matter what we do.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi visited Washington this week to urge US lawmakers to approve aid by the end of the year.
Joe Biden on Tuesday warned during a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart that Russian President Vladimir Putin “counts” on the fact that American aid to Ukraine will stop. “We have to prove them wrong,” he said.
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Source: Hot News
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