The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has canceled at the last minute a speech that he had planned to give behind closed doors before the United States Senate, where on Thursday a package that includes more than 61,000 million dollars (about 55,729 million euros) will be voted on. change) in military aid for the Ukrainians.
His speech before senators had been organized by the White House, which is promoting the aid package that totals 105 billion dollars and which, in addition to the allocation for Ukraine, includes some 14 billion for Israel, others for Taiwan and to reinforce the American border.
The idea was that the Ukrainian president could convince Republican senators who are reluctant to approve the economic package because they do not share the priorities of the White House, especially regarding Ukraine and the border.
“Something happened at the last minute,” said the head of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, without offering further details, when announcing that Zelensky had canceled his intervention. Before learning that he would not appear, Schumer told the Senate floor: “The last time he spoke to us, his message was direct and relentless. Without more help from Congress, Ukraine does not have the means to defeat Vladimir Putin. Without more help from Congress, Ukraine does not have the means to defeat Vladimir Putin. more help from Congress, Ukraine may fall.”
The White House warned the Legislature this Monday that the money it has for Ukraine is running out and that it will run out before the end of the year. “There is no magic pool of financing available to meet this moment. We have run out of money and almost out of time,” the head of the US Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, said in a letter.
For his part, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “I believe that any member of Congress who does not support funding Ukraine is voting for an outcome that will make it easier for Putin to prevail. A vote against the support for Ukraine is a vote to improve Putin’s strategic position.”
Congress has been debating for months the appropriateness of approving more military aid for Ukraine. While Democrats almost unanimously support the measure, many Republicans have begun to question whether the United States should continue financing a war to which it has already allocated more than $75 billion.
In the absence of an agreement between the two factions, the Democrats, who have the majority in the Senate, have decided to force a vote on the package this Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the president of the Lower House, Republican Mike Johnson, sent a letter to the White House on Tuesday in which he warned that without promoting profound reforms to regulate immigration, his group will not support funds for Ukraine.
