- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the US after Russia’s invasion.
- The US Senate is considering adding $45 billion to Ukraine’s help.
- Republicans warn they will not give Ukraine a “blank check”.
Ukraine is “alive and kicking” and will never surrender, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, in a defiant address to US lawmakers on his first foreign trip since Russia’s invasion.
According to Mr. Zelenskyy, US military assistance to Ukraine wasn’t a gift but rather an investment in future security.
His appeal comes as there are indications that Republican members in Congress will be looking more closely at US funding.
However, Vice President Joe Biden promised to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”
A new $2 billion (£1.7 billion) aid package was offered by Mr. Biden, along with another $45 billion.
At a joint news conference, Mr. Biden told reporters he was “not at all worried” about holding the international coalition together.
The US president said he felt “quite good” about the unity of support for Ukraine, amid worries that some allies may be feeling the pressure of the conflict’s cost and interruption to global food and energy supply.
The US, who is by far Ukraine’s most significant friend, has already pledged $50 billion (£41 billion) in humanitarian, financial, and security aid.
Zelenskyy expressed hope that Congress would approve an additional $45 billion in aid to Ukraine, which is currently before the US Senate, to “help us to protect our ideals and independence” while donning his signature combat-green sweatshirt and boots.
Republicans, who will control the House of Representatives in January, have issued a warning that they would not give Ukraine a “blank check.”
In actuality, Republican support for ongoing aid has been dwindling. Just over half of Republican voters backed aid to Ukraine in a study taken in November, down from 80% in March.
But Mr. Zelenskyy, who travelled on a US Air Force jet from the Polish city of Rzeszow, said that “regardless of changes in the Congress”, he believed there would be bipartisan support for his country.
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