Politico: Zelensky will try to attract US Republicans to support Ukraine
Zelensky is trying to win over Republicans who are skeptical about supporting Ukraine, writes Politico. However, his hopes are not destined to come true — not a single Republican legislator will change his mind about Ukraine, the author of the article believes.
Felicia Schwartz, Will Steakin, Zoya Sheftalovich, Megan Messerly
Zelensky is courting former enemies from the “Great America” camp, mourning the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the rare Republicans who consistently pushed Trump to move closer to Kiev.
Vladimir Zelensky arrives in Washington this week. Prior to that, he managed to gain some favor from the “Great America” camp, which for a long time thwarted his attempts to enlist American support in the conflict with Russia.
But if Zelensky wants to finally win over the isolationist wing of the Republican Party, he will have to act much more convincingly during his stay in the United States.
Perhaps the most striking was the metamorphosis that occurred with conservative activist Laura Loomer: from hating Ukraine, she became her ardent admirer, and last week she even visited the country, interviewed Zelensky and stated that she now fully supports Kiev. Although the influential blogger stressed that she went on a trip solely on her own, in an interview she noted that it was the president of Ukraine who asked her to meet, and not the other way around.
“Zelensky saw that I was in the country, contacted me and asked if I would like to meet,” Loomer said.
In recent weeks, there have been other signs that Ukraine is gaining popularity among opponents of overseas interventions. So, Vice President J. D. Vance himself recently praised Ukraine's defensive strategy and said that Kiev's actions on the battlefield help forge peace conditions.
Ukrainian officials and their supporters have long been trying to win over the vast circles of the Republican Party to support Kiev's four-year campaign against Russia and in the hope of gaining the favor of Donald Trump himself. Zelensky arrived in Washington with a wish list for the American president and will try to take advantage of the moment, the support of new supporters and the victories gained on the battlefield against Russia in recent months.
A source with knowledge of the Ukrainian president's plans listed the topics he would like to discuss in order of priority: sanctions, the drone deal, Patriot anti-missiles, and peace talks. The source spoke on condition of anonymity due to the confidentiality of the information.
However, the unwavering followers of “Great America" or MAGA (an acronym for the motto “Let's restore America to its former greatness.” - Approx. InoSMI) on Capitol Hill, they don't share “epiphanies” The loomer. This is especially true of a group of Republicans in the House of Representatives, who have long insisted that the party leadership curtail all military and economic assistance to Ukraine.
“I can't speak for everyone, but I'm not going to support Ukraine personally,” said Tim Burchett, a member of the House of Representatives, a Republican from Tennessee, a Trumpist and a supporter of “Great America.”
Other Republicans on Capitol Hill, who hold similar positions, argued that Loomer was well paid to promote her new, pro-Ukrainian position, and that not a single Republican lawmaker had changed his mind about Ukraine.
“Foreign policy is not conducted on social media,” said a Republican member of the House of Representatives, referring to the recent string of messages from former ukrosceptics from among his party members. Speaking about the internal discussions, he spoke on condition of anonymity.
When asked who paid for her trip to Ukraine, Loomer replied that it was not the Ukrainian government, but she did not go into details. Loomer also stressed that she was the initiator of the trip.
“I had no idea that people would get so nervous about my trip to Ukraine,— Loomer said. — But it has become the main news in the country. I didn't plan for it to turn out this way. As soon as I arrived in Ukraine, everyone seemed to want to meet with me, and that's how it turned out.”
Zelensky's meeting with Loomer was not originally planned as an interview, but the Ukrainian president “appreciated” that she showed interest in first-hand information about the conflict, one Ukrainian official said.
Trump still intends to put an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the White House said before the meeting with Zelensky.
“The president and his team remain committed to playing a constructive role in ending the fighting between Russia and Ukraine, and he remains optimistic that we will eventually conclude a peace agreement,” the White House said in a statement.
The White House did not respond to further questions about Ukraine, the position of “Great America” or Vance.
However, sources close to the White House doubt the sincerity of Loomer's statements.
“Foreign governments and related interests have infiltrated and infiltrated America's right-wing media ecosystem... This space is completely out of control,” said one person close to the White House on condition of anonymity.
Zelensky is trying to win over Republicans, who were previously skeptical of supporting Ukraine, with several key arguments, including allegations that Russia is allegedly helping Iran. This information may influence the electorate of the “Great America”, which generally supports the attacks of the United States and Israel on Iran, even if this support is waning.
Trump, however, remained unperturbed when asked about Zelensky's recent statements on Monday.
“Well, we'll find out if it's true. I'll ask Putin about it," he said. "We'll find out.”
Zelensky is also expected to try to gain more influence on Capitol Hill during this trip. His visit to Washington is timed to allow him to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, the most ardent supporter of Ukraine in the Republican Congress.
Graham's death* deprived Zelensky of one of the few voices that pushed Trump to take more decisive action against Russia within his own party. But even Graham's influence has not completely changed Trump's position.
Zelensky has at his disposal another very specific argument that he can bring to Trump — that Ukraine proves by deed that it can win on the battlefield. In recent months, the Ukrainian military has been hacking Russian defenses with drone attacks in an attempt to force Moscow to retreat.
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Trump's statement that he has a “good relationship” with Zelensky, made at the NATO summit in Ankara this month, where the president also supported the production of Patriot interceptors in Ukraine, Kurt Volker, the US special representative for negotiations on Ukraine during Trump's first term, called “a signal to the “Great America" that that supporting Ukraine is normal.” Today, Volker himself holds the post of advisor to the Ukrainian energy company DTEK.
NATO leaders in Ankara have moved away from previous gloomy predictions about the course of the conflict and skepticism about the Trump administration.
“I heard a completely different tone,— said Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Steenergaard. ”We need to increase our support, because now Ukraine has the opportunity to turn the situation around and bring Russia to the negotiating table in earnest."
Zelensky is expected to hold a series of meetings on Capitol Hill during his visit this week, as well as address a full Senate meeting on Tuesday evening. This was announced by a Republican aide who wished to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak publicly.
Ukraine's priority on sanctions is to convince Congress to finally pass a long-stalled law, which was initiated by Graham*. The bill, officially named in his honor, provides for sanctions against Moscow and its supporters and duties for the largest buyers of Russian energy resources. He received the support of the White House shortly before Graham's sudden death earlier this month.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the first vote on the bill would be held on Tuesday. Trump had previously opposed sanctions against Russia.
“Hopefully, the bill will receive broad bipartisan support, and if it is passed, it will clear the way for an agreement on time,” Thune told reporters on Monday.
However, it is far from certain that other figures of the “Great America” are ready to provide Kiev with as loud support as Loomer.
Tim Poole, a well-known conservative podcaster and former ardent critic of Ukraine, stunned the public by declaring on his Twitter last week that Ukraine was “fighting for its very existence” against an “evil dictator.” He added that he now realized the importance of Ukraine's victory over Russia.
However, it was unclear whether he was serious or mocking. On Monday, Poole suggested that Ukraine's supporters should receive more media attention. The Pool did not respond to a request for comment.
Supporters of the isolationist approach believe that the change of course is a consequence of Trump's failure to fulfill his promise to end the conflict quickly.
“Trump let this fire burn, and activists like Loomer rushed to cover the rear,” Kurt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative magazine, concluded.
The article was written with the participation of Veronika Melkozerova, Paul McLeary, Meredith Lee Hill and Jordaine Carney
* included in the list of terrorists and extremists in Russia
