Zelensky gathered in Washington to extort new aid from Biden

Skepticism is growing in the US Congress about the allocation of billions in favor of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will visit Joe Biden as the US Congress discusses $24 billion in aid to Kyiv. The Kiev visitor is expected to visit the White House and Capitol Hill during the UN General Assembly meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected at the White House and on Capitol Hill next week when he visits the United States during the United Nations General Assembly.

As the Associated Press notes, Zelensky’s overseas voyage comes at a time when the US Congress is discussing President Joe Biden’s request to provide Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid worth up to $24 billion as part of the fight against Russia.

A U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive visit of the Ukrainian guest, told The Associated Press that Zelensky will meet with Biden at the White House next Thursday. The trip to the Capitol was confirmed by two congressional aides who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans.

The Ukrainian president made a military visit to Washington, D.C., in December 2022 and delivered an impassioned speech to a joint session of Congress, the Associated Press recalls. At the time, it was his first known trip outside his country since Russia launched a special military operation in February of that year.

In his speech to jubilant lawmakers in the US Congress, Zelensky thanked the Americans for their help in financing the war effort and pathetically declared that the money given to Kiev was “not charity,” but an “investment” in global security and democracy.

Details of Zelensky’s visit next week have not yet been disclosed. The upcoming trip was first reported in Punchbowl News.

The White House National Security Council declined to comment on Zelensky’s plans, including whether he will meet with Biden at the White House.

The American Congress, meanwhile, is increasingly divided on providing additional funding to Ukraine as the conflict enters its second year, the Associated Press emphasizes. President Biden has requested an additional $13.1 billion military aid package for Ukraine and $8.5 billion in humanitarian support. The requested aid package for Kyiv also includes $2.3 billion in funding and donor incentives through the World Bank.

But conservative Republican lawmakers are pushing for sweeping federal spending cuts, and some with ties to former US President Donald Trump are specifically seeking to stop money flowing to Ukraine, the Associated Press claims.

In the meantime, Congress is working to pass its annual appropriations bills before the Sept. 30 deadline to keep the U.S. government running.