Zelenskyy Returns to DC to Talk Funding09/21 06:22

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returns to Washington on Thursday 
for a whirlwind one-day visit, this time to face the Republicans now 
questioning the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has kept his troops 
in the fight against Russian forces.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returns to 
Washington on Thursday for a whirlwind one-day visit, this time to face the 
Republicans now questioning the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has 
kept his troops in the fight against Russian forces.

   Zelenskyy will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House, speak with 
U.S. military leaders at the Pentagon and stop at Capitol Hill to talk 
privately with Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate as the 
world is watching Western support for Kyiv.

   It is Zelenskyy's second visit to Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine in 
February 2022 and comes as Biden's request to Congress for an additional $24 
billion for Ukraine's military and humanitarian needs is hanging in the balance.

   National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the Ukrainian 
president "our best messenger" in persuading U.S. lawmakers to keep vital U.S. 
money and weapons coming.

   "It's really important for members of Congress to be able to hear directly 
from the president about what he's facing in this counteroffensive," Kirby told 
reporters Wednesday, "and how he's achieving his goals, and what he needs to 
continue to achieve those goals."

   Biden has called on world leaders to stand strong with Ukraine, even as he 
faces domestic political divisions at home. A hard-right flank of Republicans, 
led by former President Donald Trump, Biden's chief rival in the 2024 race for 
the White House, is increasingly opposed to sending more money overseas.

   As the White House worked to shore up support for Ukraine before Zelenskyy's 
visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and top intelligence officials briefed 
senior lawmakers behind closed doors Wednesday to argue the case.

   But some Senate Republicans walked out of the briefing no more convinced 
than before about the necessity of spending more on Ukraine. "It's not close to 
the end," Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said. "What we're basically 
told is, 'Buckle up and get out your checkbook."'

   Since the start of the war, most members of Congress supported approving 
four rounds of aid to Ukraine, totaling about $113 billion, viewing defense of 
the country and its democracy as an imperative, especially when it comes to 
containing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some of that money went toward 
replenishing U.S. military equipment sent to the frontlines.

   Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who traveled to Kyiv this week, said 
cutting off U.S. aid during the Ukrainians' counteroffensive would be 
"catastrophic" to their efforts.

   "That would clearly be the opening that Putin is looking for," Kelly said 
Wednesday. "They cannot be successful without our support."

   The political environment has shifted markedly since Zelenskyy addressed 
Congress last December on his first trip out of Ukraine since the war began. He 
was met with rapturous applause for his country's bravery and surprisingly 
strong showing in the war.

   His meeting with senators on Thursday will take place behind closed doors in 
the Old Senate Chamber, a historical and intimate place of importance at the 
U.S. Capitol, signifying the respect the Senate is showing the foreign leader.

   But on the other side of the Capitol, Republican House Speaker Kevin 
McCarthy, who faces more opposition within his Trump-aligned ranks to 
supporting Ukraine, is planning a separate meeting with Zelenskyy, with a 
smaller bipartisan group of lawmakers and committee chairmen.

   "I will have questions for President Zelenskyy," McCarthy told reporters 
before the visit.

   The House speaker said he wanted more accountability for the money the U.S. 
has already approved for Ukraine before moving ahead with more.

   And, McCarthy said, he wants to know, "What is the plan for victory?"

   In the Senate, however, Ukraine has a strong ally in Republican leader Mitch 
McConnell, who is out front in pushing his party, and the president, to 
continue robust support for Kyiv.

   McConnell urged Biden before Wednesday's closed-door briefing to senators to 
make sure the administration's top brass puts forward a more forceful case in 
support of Ukraine so Congress can send Zelenskyy what's needed to win the war.

   "I sometimes get the sense that I speak more about Ukraine matters than the 
president does," McConnell said in a speech Wednesday.