Zelensky makes 11th- hour plea for war funds in Washington

Washington — In visits to the White House and Capitol Hill, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday plans a last-ditch plea to US legislators to keep military support flowing as Ukraine battles Russia. 

Heading into winter, with tens of thousands of Ukrainians dead, a yawning budget deficit and Russian advances in the east, Zelensky is scheduled to press US legislators to replenish nearly depleted funding, before meeting President Joe Biden.

“If there’s anyone inspired by unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it’s just (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his sick clique,” Zelensky said at a speech in Washington on Monday to a US military audience.

Newly declassified US intelligence shows that “Russia seems to believe that a military deadlock through the winter will drain Western support for Ukraine” and ultimately give Russia the advantage despite Russian losses, Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said.

Ukraine is having success stopping Russian forces but Putin is continuing to order his troops forward despite heavy losses of troops and equipment since October, she said.

There are just three days before Congress recesses for the year on Friday, and Republicans in the House of Representatives have until now refused to pass a $106bn supplemental bill that contains Ukraine aid without unrelated, fiercely disputed changes to US immigration.

Putin, who said last week he would run for president again in 2024, is betting he can outlast Western aid and attention to score a major strategic victory against the West, Zelensky and Biden aides believe. The view is shared by European legislators who will send their own last-minute plea to the US Congress on Tuesday.

Biden has cast the situation in stark terms, saying “history is going to judge harshly those who turn their back on freedom’s cause”.

Ultimately, US troops could be forced to fight Russia, Biden and others warn, if an unchecked Putin invades a European ally covered by Nato’s mutual defence commitments.

More detail

US House speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said in a letter to the Biden administration released last week that legislators need more detail on the administration’s objectives in Ukraine and linked the issue to immigration.

“President Biden must satisfy congressional oversight inquiries about the administration's failure thus far to present clearly defined objectives, and its failure to provide essential weapons (for Ukraine) on a timely basis,” Johnson wrote. He added that “supplemental Ukraine funding is dependent upon enactment of transformative change to our nation’s border security laws”.

The White House told Congress on December 4 the government will no longer have funding to provide more weapons for Ukraine after the end of the year. Congress approved more than $110bn for Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion but no new funds since Republicans took over the House from Democrats in January.

Bolstered by billions of dollars in US arms, humanitarian aid and intelligence, Ukraine was able to fend off Russia’s initial attempt to sweep the country. But Kyiv failed to break through Russian defensive lines in a major counteroffensive push this year and Russia is now on the offensive in the east.

“As winter approaches, we’re seeing now increased missile and drone attacks by the Russian armed forces against civilian infrastructure,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday. “We expect that that will continue, particularly against energy infrastructure.”

Some Republicans, particularly those with the closest ties to former President Donald Trump, oppose more Ukraine aid, and are asking about the war aims and how US money is being spent. It was left out of a stopgap funding bill Congress passed in October to keep the government open.

Both the war and immigration issues are expected to be lightning-rod issues ahead of the 2024 US presidential and congressional elections. Trump and Biden are both seeking the presidency.

About 41% of US adults polled by Reuters/Ipsos last month backed sending weapons to Ukraine, compared to 32% who were opposed and the rest unsure. 

Reuters