Zelenskyy asks Congress for more aid. This time, it鈥檚 a tougher sell.
| Washington
Nine months after he got a standing ovation before a joint session of Congress, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned today 鈥� under notably different circumstances 鈥� to make a pitch for more U.S. aid.听
Aware that America鈥檚 enthusiasm for supporting the war effort had eroded significantly, President Zelenskyy听urged听the U.S. to stay the course. According to senators who attended the closed-door briefing, he听said Ukraine was making progress and using U.S. aid effectively, but that further support was necessary to protect the global world order.
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, summed up Mr. Zelenskyy鈥檚 argument as: 鈥淲e have lived up to our end of the bargain, and we hope you see that and don鈥檛 choose this inflection point to abandon us.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
The Ukrainian president鈥檚 U.S. visit comes as Congress heads toward a possible shutdown and 55% of Americans oppose additional aid to Ukraine.
A strong bipartisan contingent of senators, along with President Joe Biden, agree with the Ukrainian leader. If the U.S. doesn鈥檛 help Ukraine against Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 invasion, they argue, his next target will likely be a member of NATO 鈥� which America is treaty-bound to protect. And that could draw U.S. forces into a direct conflict with Russia.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 really pay now 鈥� or pay a lot more later to stop Putin,鈥� says Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who sits on the Armed Services Committee and has visited Ukraine four times.
But the timing couldn鈥檛 have been worse for President Zelenskyy鈥檚 in-person request. With funding for the U.S. government set to run out Sept. 30, Congress is locked in a stalemate over spending 鈥� and appears headed for a government shutdown. Amid ballooning deficits and record-high national debt, Republicans are scrutinizing every dollar in proposed budgets for domestic priorities. And more lawmakers, mostly on the GOP side, are balking at spending taxpayer dollars on a country that, 19 months into the fighting, lacks a clear path to victory and has a notorious history of corruption.
Mr. Zelenskyy鈥檚 firing of all six of Ukraine鈥檚 deputy defense ministers shortly before his visit, after sacking the defense minister himself earlier this year, was broadly seen as an effort to clean house.
A U.S. government oversight effort involving 20 different organizations said in a听听that despite receiving 189 complaints alleging misconduct involving U.S. aid to Ukraine, investigations had 鈥渘ot substantiated significant waste, fraud, or abuse.鈥� However, it also noted that it was difficult to conduct 鈥渆nd-use monitoring鈥� because of the lack of U.S. personnel in Ukraine. Senate Republicans are pushing to create a special inspector general position to oversee Ukraine aid.听听
鈥淚 just don鈥檛 have much confidence that our money is being well spent,鈥� says GOP Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who supported the initial U.S. aid package after Russia鈥檚 February 2022 invasion. Overall, the U.S. has appropriated听$113 billion 鈥撎齩nly about 0.5% of GDP but听far more than he and his colleagues have to secure the southern border, an issue he says matters more to his constituents.
鈥淯ntil we have a plan to secure the southern border, you can count me out for any more funding for Ukraine,鈥澨齭aid Senator Marshall, one of six GOP senators and 23 House Republicans to听听to the Biden administration today opposing its request for an additional $24 billion.
Kiel Institute听for the World Economy
As he met with Mr. Zelenskyy this afternoon, Mr. Biden announced a new , which is to be drawn from existing Pentagon inventory and thus does not need congressional approval.
In the early days of the war, Mr. Zelenskyy鈥檚 courage in staying in Kyiv even as top U.S. military and intelligence officials predicted it would soon fall to Russia earned him great respect 鈥� and strong bipartisan support for two initial rounds of aid, at $13.6 billion and $40 billion respectively.听
But a year and a half later, with estimated war deaths exceeding 150,000 and a major Ukrainian counteroffensive failing to make much ground, the initial support seen in blue-and-yellow flags听hung outside homes across America has weakened.听A听听in August found that 55% of Americans oppose sending more aid to Ukraine. Among the 45% in favor, older people and Democrats were the most supportive.
鈥淭hey听want to be supportive,鈥澨齭ays GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of his Wisconsin constituents. But mounting U.S. deficits and the appearance of a stalemate in Ukraine make them hesitant, he adds. 鈥淚 think they recognize reality.鈥�
Senator Johnson voted for the $40 billion听package in May 2022, hoping Mr. Putin would rethink his invasion and stop. Now he鈥檚 convinced the Russian leader will not under any circumstances lose this war, even if it means resorting to nuclear weapons.听听鈥淲hat the Biden admin should be doing, quietly 鈥� and it should be quiet 鈥� is figuring out some way to bring this war to an end,鈥� he says.
Most of the lawmakers registering objections are Republicans. But progressive Democrats have also voiced concerns. Of the House members who voted against the initial $13.6 billion aid package, 54 were Republicans and 15 were Democrats. Last fall, the Progressive Caucus released 鈥� , amid a firestorm of criticism 鈥� a letter calling on President Biden to engage in direct diplomacy with President Putin to find a way to end the war.听
Ukraine鈥檚 supporters say just because it鈥檚 getting harder to make the case to Americans doesn鈥檛 mean Congress shouldn鈥檛 try.听It鈥檚 not only possible, but essential, to address Americans鈥� domestic concerns while helping Ukraine win its battle with Russia, they argue.听
鈥淲e can do both, and we must,鈥� says Senator Blumenthal. He has visited mass graves in Bucha and met with soldiers who lost limbs in the fighting and mothers who lost sons. 鈥淲e are reliving the atrocities of the 1920s and 1930s,鈥� he says.
Moreover, the U.S. is signatory to a听听to protect Ukraine鈥檚 sovereignty in exchange for giving up its nuclear arsenal 鈥� at the time the third-largest in the world.
Some Republicans say the president needs to make a more forceful case to the American people that helping Ukraine is in the nation鈥檚 interest 鈥� and that walking away could be disastrous.
鈥淭his generalized talk about defending democracy around the world 鈥� it鈥檚 not wrong, but it鈥檚 not enough,鈥� says Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee. 鈥淚 think if we were to walk away from Ukraine, our entire system of alliances around the world would collapse.听It would reinforce the narrative being used against our country by our adversaries that we鈥檙e weak, that we鈥檙e hollowed out. It would be the Afghanistan withdrawal on steroids.鈥�
Editor鈥檚 note: The story has been updated with the formal announcement by President Biden 鈥� later in the day of President Zelenskyy鈥檚 visit 鈥� of new aid for Ukraine that doesn鈥檛 require congressional approval.
