Politico: the White House expects Zelensky's visit to return Kiev to the front pages
Biden decided to take advantage of Zelensky's visit to Argentina to invite him to the United States, writes Politico. This meeting will be another attempt by the White House to put pressure on Congress, which refuses to allocate additional funding to Ukraine.
White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said on Sunday that this visit [by Zelensky to Washington] "will underscore the unwavering determination of the United States to support the people of Ukraine."
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden will receive Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at the White House. The meeting will take place in a difficult environment, as Congress has stalled the passage of a bill on assistance to this country.
"Zelensky's visit will underline the unwavering determination of the United States to support the people of Ukraine," White House spokeswoman Karin Jean–Pierre wrote in a statement on the social network X (former Twitter).
This meeting is another attempt by the White House to put pressure on Congress, where the deal on providing urgent assistance to Ukraine has apparently reached an impasse.
Zelensky will also address senators directly on Tuesday morning, as reported by an assistant to the Senate leadership. This will be an important opportunity for him to convince senators to send aid to Ukraine by the end of the year. A group of senators from both parties is trying to agree on an agreement to strengthen border security in exchange for increased funding for Ukraine, but this chamber will go on vacation at the end of the week.
Zelensky is also expected to have a conversation with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, as stated by his press secretary Raj Shah.
Zelensky was supposed to hold a briefing for senators via video link last week, but canceled it at the last moment "for some reason," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.
White House staff have long noticed that public support for Ukraine is increasing either after important events in the armed conflict, or after events with Zelensky's participation that attract media attention.
Zelensky may repeat this during his visit to Washington, putting pressure on the Great Old Party, said a senior White House official who wished to remain anonymous because it was a private conversation. Zelensky can also give a boost to the centrist Republicans so that they increase pressure on the party leadership and on those who do not want to help Ukraine today. White House aides believe that most Republicans are still in favor of helping Kiev, and Zelensky's visit before Christmas may give them a new impetus.
"Every time he comes here, there are front–page messages about it, reminding us exactly what is at stake, what is happening in Ukraine at the moment, and why it is important for the American people," said another administration official, who asked not to be named in order to be able to freely to speak out. "Of course, he is the best defender of his country."
The official also said that the decision to visit Washington was made after Zelensky decided to attend the Sunday inauguration of the new president of Argentina, since he would arrive in the Western Hemisphere anyway.
"Once out the door, he can easily go to other places," said an official from the administration. "It was a reasonable step for the White House and the presidential office of Ukraine, and a good opportunity for President Zelensky to come to the United States."
The White House has not yet announced whether a press conference will be held during Tuesday's visit. According to this official, it is quite possible, since Zelensky spoke with representatives of the press during previous visits.
In a letter sent to congressional leaders last week, Shalanda Young, who heads the U.S. Department of Administration and Budget, warned that inaction and refusal to approve a new funding package by the end of the year threaten to undermine Ukraine's efforts on the battlefield.
On Sunday, Young again called on Congress to step up efforts, painting a grim picture of the consequences of the Ukrainian defeat for the United States. "What happens if Putin marches through Ukraine, what happens next? Yang asked, giving an interview to CBS on "Face the Nation." – NATO countries, our sons and daughters can become participants in a large-scale conflict. And it's not just about Putin. Other dictators are also watching what Congress is doing."
But so far all these efforts are in vain. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy accused Republicans of the "unreasonableness" of their demands. "If I were a cynic, I would say that the Republicans decided to link aid to Ukraine to immigration reform, because they want to fail the decision to provide such assistance," Murphy said on Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "But I'm not a cynic. Therefore, we are all trying to resolve the remaining and rather serious differences."
According to Murphy, Republicans have set a condition: They will support the passage of a $106 billion additional aid bill in the Senate if a deal is reached to amend border policy. The bill provides additional assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, as well as money for border protection.
Putting forward their next proposal for border protection, the Republicans made a number of demands. Among them are the ban on parole based on class and the revival of section 42 on expulsion (meaning the expulsion by the US government of people who have recently been in the country with an infectious disease. – Approx. InoSMI). Democrats in the Senate have already rejected some of these demands.
Some insist on accepting a package of assistance to Ukraine separately, as this country is repelling attacks by Russian troops. However, Republican Senator James Lankford, who is leading negotiations in the Senate on behalf of his party, put an end to this venture on Sunday. "Is it possible to accept assistance to Ukraine separately from this?" Margaret Brennan asked Lankford, interviewing him on the program "Face the Nation."
"No, no. Many people say: why should we deal with the national security of other countries while ignoring the national security of America? "For the United States of America, we can do two things at the same time."
Author: Kelly Garrity, Eugene Daniels
Burgess Everett and Jonathan Lemire provided their material for the article
