Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet today at the White House with President Joe Biden and visit the US Congress to try to convince lawmakers to provide more military funding to Ukraine.
Mr. Zelenskyy will meet privately with senators and the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, before heading to the White House to meet with President Biden.
The Ukrainian leader’s visit comes a day after the International Monetary Fund’s executive board approved a $900 million fund for Ukraine from the country’s $15.6 billion loan program.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conference in Washington with the Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, on December 11, 2023.
President Zelenskyy thanked the IMF and international allies for their country’s continued support in the war.
The International Monetary Fund said the Ukrainian economy continues to show “remarkable resilience” despite the Russian attack in February 2022, with recent developments pointing to a stronger-than-expected economic recovery in 2023 and continued growth in 2024.
On Monday, President Zelenskyy was greeted with applause at the National Defense University in Washington.
“The whole world is watching us, seeing what fate other free countries may have, live in freedom or submit. Ukraine has not surrendered and will not surrender. We know what we must do. You you can count on Ukraine and hopefully we can count on you,” said Mr. Zelensky during his speech to US military officers.
“Ukraine’s fight for freedom is one of the great causes of our time. The United States is proud to stand with you. And don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise, America’s commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression is unwavering,” he said. US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin.
Since Mr. Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington in September, President Biden has asked Congress to approve a $110 billion package for Ukraine, Israel, and other national security priorities. If approved, Ukraine would receive more than $61 billion.
But Republicans in the US Senate have opposed this bill, demanding major changes to US border security.
Democratic senator Chris Coons
“It’s crazy,” Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons said of the impasse. “A very bad message for the world, for the Ukrainian people,” added President Biden’s close ally.
So far, the US has provided Ukraine with $111 billion for its fight against Russian aggression.
Moscow said it will follow “very carefully” the meeting between President Biden and the Ukrainian Zelenskyy.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said Washington’s “tens of billions of dollars” to Kiev had failed to turn the tide of the war and that further aid would similarly fail.
Some of the data for this article was obtained from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters news agencies.