Zelenskyy’s Travels to Ukraine: How Do U.S. Governments Fail to Address Russia’s 2022 Russian Invasion?
Zelenskyy’s itinerary in D.C. includes a morning on Capitol Hill for bipartisan meetings with lawmakers. After that, he is scheduled to have a meeting with President Biden in the Oval Office.
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, no country has provided more funding to Ukraine than the United States. Total aid to Ukraine has topped $112 billion, with another round of funding currently tied up in Congress.
But appetite to send new funds to Ukraine, among congressional lawmakers and the public alike, has begun to falter as the war enters its 20th month. A much-anticipated counteroffensive that began in June is still well short of Ukraine’s stated goals, with just a month or two left before winter sets in.
Biden has asked Congress to approve $24 billion in new aid to Ukraine. The funding has no obvious path to passage in the near term due as Congress nears an end-of-the-month deadline to approve new spending or face a government shutdown.
Like Congress, the American public is split in support for additional aid. A CNN poll last month showed that 71% of Republicans oppose new funding while 62% of Democrats support it.
Seeking Zelenskyy’s West-Flank to Maintain His U.S. Support: McCarthy’s Questions for the Ukrainian President
Zelenskyy called for Russia’s expulsion as a permanent member of the UN security council at a meeting in New York. “Humankind no longer pins its hopes on the U.N. when it comes to the sovereign borders of nations,” he said.
The speaker brushed off a question about committing more money for the defense of Ukraine from Russia.
Is Zelenskyy going to Congress? Is he our president? McCarthy asked if he was still alive. I have questions for him. Where’s the accountability on the money we’ve already spent?”
It’s hard to say whether the Ukrainian president really changed McCarthy’s mind, or if the whole episode was part of McCarthy’s effort to win over recalcitrant Republican lawmakers. Some of McCarthy’s caucus seems even more reluctant to fund Ukraine than they are to fund the operations of the U.S. government.
The right-wing lawmakers are demanding an end to American funding. That faction has folded criticism of Ukraine into its various demands over the federal budget, which may cause a partial federal government shutdown after September 30.
Source: Securing his western flank, Zelenskyy bids to maintain his U.S. support
What do Ukrainians and Russians really want to know about the end of the Cold War? A New Look at the Zelenskyy Talk at the New York Morning Edition
Zelenskyy spoke with Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep in New York shortly before he went to a UN Security Council meeting.
Zelenskyy insisted during the sit-down interview that he was doing everything he could to answer legitimate concerns about the conduct of the war. The minister and many other senior leaders had to go because of corruption concerns before they traveled to the U.S.
He told NPR that they need to be very strict and fast, since they might lose the trust of their partners. Apparently, he discussed the move with Speaker McCarthy, who emerged from their meeting and praised it.
In the Morning Edition interview, Zelenskyy insisted the scandal within the ministry — inflating the price of eggs bought for the troops — had nothing to do with U.S. aid.
Other problems will need careful tending as the war goes on. Since early December of 2002, martial law has been in effect for Ukrainians. The response to Russia’s invasion has included limits on large gatherings, restrictions on media and a delay in this fall’s parliamentary elections.
Zelenskyy did not give a commitment to hold apresidential election in 2024, as it was required by law. He said he would be happy to hold a vote, but only after the many problems of balloting in a war zone were resolved.
He insisted that Ukraine remains a “free country” that shares basic democratic values with the United States. “And that’s why we are fighting against Russia,” he said.
Zelenskyy has resisted having to negotiate with Russia and demanded a complete Russian withdrawal before even talking about anything. He said it was impossible to trust the word of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Several of the questions in the interview came from Ukrainians and had been asked by the NPR team. A soldier in uniform married this week, InsKEEP told Zelenksyy. They were in love but worried about the future and wanted to start a family. Zelenskyy was visibly moved.
Zelenskyy said he didn’t think they needed promised, saying they had spoken “such strong words.” The people that showed why we will win are the ones that did it. I don’t know what to say. I’m going to be with them.
The radio version of this story was produced by Lisa Weiner and edited by Ally Schweitzer. The Ukrainian interpreter was Anton Loboda. The digital version was edited by Treye Green.