![]() Zelenskyy kicked off the quick visit to Washington on Monday, warning in a speech at a defense university that Russia may be fighting in Ukraine but its “real target is freedom” in America and around the world. Michael McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Zelenskyy might be able to take on the stalemate by showing the stakes of potential Russian expansion toward NATO, and making his case on “moral clarity and why is Ukraine important.” But his surprise arrival days before Christmas last December drew thunderous applause in Congress, his daring first wartime trip out of Ukraine.Īt the time, lawmakers sported the blue-and-yellow colors of Ukraine, and Zelenskyy delivered a speech that drew on the parallels to World War II as he thanked Americans for their support.īut 2023 brought a new power center of hard-right Republicans, many aligned with Donald Trump, the former president who is now the GOP front-runner in the 2024 race for the White House. It’s Zelenskyy’s third visit to Washington since the war broke out in February 2022, including a quick trip just a few months ago as aid was being considered. The result is forcing Russia to rely on Soviet-era weaponry and has set back efforts to modernize its ground forces, the person said the analysis shows. Russia has lost 87% of the military personnel it had before the Ukraine war, including contracted and other ground forces, naval infantry and airborne troops, according to a person familiar with a recently declassified intelligence analysis and granted anonymity to discuss it.Īdditionally, of the 3,500 Russian tanks before the invasion, some 2,200 have been lost on the battlefield, the person said. intelligence officials have determined that the Russians think if they can achieve a military deadlock through the winter it will drain Western support for Ukraine and ultimately give Russia the advantage, despite the fact that Russians have sustained heavy losses and have been slowed by persistent shortages of trained personnel, munitions and equipment. The Ukrainian holdout in the country’s partly-occupied east has been the center of some of the fiercest fighting in recent weeks. “Hey, pay attention to us, but not your own country? No,” Lankford told reporters.Īhead of Zelenskyy’s high-stakes meetings, the White House late Monday pointed to newly declassified intelligence that shows Ukraine has inflicted heavy losses on Russia in recent fighting along the Avdiivka-Novopavlivka axis - including 13,000 casualties and over 220 combat vehicle losses. James Lankford of Oklahoma, said there was nothing Zelenskyy could say during his visit with the senators to sway the outcome. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas headed to Capitol Hill to meet with negotiators as they try to reach a border deal, He has expressed a willingness to engage with the Republicans as migrant crossings have hit record highs along the U.S.-Mexico border, but Democrats in his own party oppose proposals for expedited deportations and strict asylum standards as a return to Trump-era hostility towards migrants. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said the emergency funding wouldn’t gain GOP support unless it includes “real, meaningful border reform.”īiden has been calling for a $110 billion U.S. ![]() McConnell said Zelenskyy was “inspirational and determined” in the Senate meeting.īut Republican senators exited the meeting unmoved from their position. 25 rather than the day Russians mark the holiday. To the House Democrats, he showcased his country’s embrace of the West by pointing to the Christmas season, telling them it was the first year Ukraine would celebrate on Dec. In his trademark olive drab, he stood before a portrait of George Washington, history hanging behind him. Zelenskyy sought to impress on the senators that Ukraine could win the war against Russia, telling them he was drafting men in their 30s and 40s in a show of strength for the battle. Johnson insisted afterward: “We do want to do the right thing here.” Zelenskyy also visited the House leaders, including privately with new Speaker Mike Johnson, whose hard-right Republicans have been the most resistance to any deal. But more than an hour later few senators’ minds appeared changed. Flanked by Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Zelenskyy entered a private meeting with senators with a public bipartisan show of support and to some applause.
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