WASHINGTON—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the nation’s capital, meeting with members of Congress and the White House. He faces a difficult road ahead, however, because there is not much he can do to break the current stalemate on Ukraine aid as the war-torn country enters day 656 of its conflict with Russia.
Mr. Zelenskyy had an all-senators meeting first on the hill. After the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned that “if we lose, Putin wins, and this will be very, very dangerous for the United States.”
Zelenskyy “made it so clear how he needs help, but if he gets help, he can win this war,” Mr. Schumer told reporters. “And he outlined in great detail the kind of help he needs and how it will help him win.”
“He also made one other point. He needs the aid quickly.”
Mr. Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). He will also meet with President Joe Biden in the afternoon, followed by a joint press conference at the White House.
The Biden administration had previously requested nearly $106 billion in supplemental funding from Congress, with about $60 billion allocated to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
Republicans in both chambers are seeking comprehensive immigration reform as a condition for additional funding for Ukraine.
Stalemate Continues
Mr. Johnson urged again on Tuesday for border security alongside Ukraine aid on The Hugh Hewitt Show and voiced frustration about not receiving a response from Senate Democrats and the White House.
He outlined his border security approach, stressing that all measures in the GOP proposal are interconnected.
“Those ingredients are necessary because they’re interlocking. And if you only do one or two of them, it doesn’t solve the problem,” he explained.
“They know that. But as I said, as we are speaking this morning, they’ve not even come back and said, ‘Oh, gee, we’ll give you two of the five or three of the five.’ Nothing. They haven’t sent anything back in return. There’s no return volley, so I stand here awaiting them.”
Mr. Johnson also said that he is not interested in keeping the House in session while senators are far from reaching a deal on the border and Ukraine.
“I don’t know what else to do. I’m not going to have everybody sit here through Christmas twiddling their thumbs. They’ve not sent me anything,” he said.
Senators also signaled earlier that they are no closer to reaching an agreement that would tighten U.S. immigration policies while providing funds to Ukraine.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), the lead Republican negotiator with the White House on the supplemental package, said on Monday that the Ukraine aid is unlikely to be struck this week.
“We’re not going to be able to get [a deal] by Thursday or Friday this week. We’re still working through text,” he told reporters, adding that there are many unresolved issues.
He also stated that it was a “frustrating weekend” since the White House was not including him in the discussions and was just talking to Democrats.
Congress previously approved $111 billion in supplemental funding to support Ukraine and address critical national security needs since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
From The Epoch Times
