Zelenskyj on a difficult mission in Washington A prisoner in the US becomes a guinea pig for a new kind of murder

In view of the increasing war fatigue and sometimes open rejection in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has asked for new aid for his country. The 45-year-old met with senators and representatives in the US Congress on Thursday.

The mood has changed since the last visit

After the talks, he said he was grateful for the support for his country, which was attacked by Russia. The mood in Congress has changed significantly since his last visit last year. Some Republicans responded with opposition to the Ukrainian. He comes to Washington with specific requests for military equipment. A meeting with US President Joe Biden was also on the agenda.

Zelenskiy warned senators of the dangers if further funding for Ukraine is not approved, US Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “There was one single sentence that sums it all up, and I quote it verbatim: If we don’t get the help, we will lose the war,” Schumer told reporters about Zelensky, according to US broadcaster CNN. His colleague from the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, agreed with him. “It is important that we stand with Ukraine until victory is achieved,” the top Democrat in the House of Representatives said.

The Ukrainian president was already a guest in Washington at the end of December. At the time, he was given a hero’s welcome and addressed both houses of Congress to cheers from representatives and senators. The US is Ukraine’s most important ally. Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression, the United States says it has provided more than $43 billion in military aid to Kiev – far more than any other country. There is also extensive economic assistance.

But since Zelensky’s visit shortly before Christmas, the political situation in Washington has changed. Republicans have been in control of the US House of Representatives since January, and there is deep skepticism within their ranks about whether the US should continue to pump massive amounts of money into a war with no end in sight. And so this time Zelensky met with senators and representatives behind closed doors. A big speech was canceled. Republican leader Kevin McCarthy made it clear that he had rejected that request. “We don’t have time for a joint meeting,” American media quoted him as saying.

Right-wing hardliners against support for Ukraine

The majority of Republicans in Congress support aid to Ukraine. Right-wing hardliners in particular are against it. “The US is wasting money we don’t have to pay for this war, while the EU and other leaders are absent from the world stage,” said Republican Senator Roger Marshall. That is why he stayed away from the meeting with the Ukrainian president.

All eyes are primarily focused on the House of Representatives. Unlike in the Senate, Republicans have a majority in this chamber, but only a narrow one. This gives the hardliners in the party who are against further aid to Ukraine a lot of power. They put pressure on their chairman, McCarthy, and push him along. This is currently evident from the annual dispute over a new budget, which is also important for Ukraine.

In this context, Democratic US President Biden had asked Congress for a new billion-dollar amount for Ukraine. It is unclear how his request will be granted. A new federal budget must be approved by the end of September, otherwise there is a risk of a “shutdown” – that is, a standstill in government activities. There is a bitter dispute about this within the Republicans – it concerns various disagreements, including new aid to Ukraine.

Visit to the White House in the afternoon

In a conversation with US President Biden scheduled for the US afternoon, Zelensky will probably encounter less resistance. The White House also announced a new military aid package during the visit. But the US government has so far been quite defensive in its demand for ATACMS missiles. They have a range of up to 300 kilometers. The missiles are fired from the ground at targets on the ground. Zelensky recently assured that his country has no intention of using it to attack Moscow or other targets on Russian territory.

The US government believes that the delivery of such missiles is possible, but has not yet made a decision, according to information from the White House. “The ATACMS are not off the table,” John Kirby, communications director for the National Security Council, said Wednesday. Ukraine asks Germany for a similar weapon system, namely Taurus cruise missiles. They are capable of destroying bunkers and protected command posts up to 500 kilometers away.

However, due to the relatively long range of the weapon systems, there are concerns that targets in Russia could also be attacked – and that the conflict could escalate into a world war.

(hah/sda/dpa)