Ukraine’s Head of the Workplace of the President Andriy Yermak, left, and Ukraine’s Overseas Minister Dmytro Kuleba, proper, hear as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to go to the White Home and Capitol Hill subsequent week as a part of his tour to america for the United Nations Normal Meeting.
Zelenskyy’s go to comes as Congress debates President Joe Biden’s proposal for as much as $24 billion in army and humanitarian help for Ukraine because it faces Russia.
In keeping with an administration supply who spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate the delicate go to, Zelenskyy will meet with Biden on the White Home on Thursday. Two congressional officers who requested anonymity to debate the preparations confirmed the journey to the Capitol.
In December 2022, the Ukrainian president paid a wartime go to to Washington and delivered an emotional handle to a joint session of Congress. It was his first recognized journey exterior his nation since Russia invaded the nation in February of that yr.
In his speech to cheering lawmakers, Zelenskyy praised Individuals for his or her contributions to the conflict effort, saying that the cash is “not charity,” however an “investment” in world safety and democracy.
Particulars on Zelenskyy’s go to subsequent week have but to be launched. Punchbowl Information broke the story first.
The White Home Nationwide Safety Council didn’t reply to questions on Zelenskyy’s intentions, together with whether or not he’ll meet with Biden on the White Home.
In the meantime, the Treasury and State departments introduced they had been imposing new sanctions on greater than 150 people and entities linked with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated the US was “continuing our relentless work to target Russia’s military supply chains and deprive (Russian President Vladimir) Putin of the equipment, technology, and services he needs to wage his barbaric war on Ukraine.”
Congress is more and more divided over offering extra funding for Ukraine because the conflict is properly into its second yr. Biden has sought a package deal of $13.1 billion in extra army help for Ukraine and $8.5 billion for humanitarian help. It additionally contains $2.3 billion for financing and to catalyze donors by way of the World Financial institution.
However conservative Republican lawmakers have been pushing for broad federal spending cuts and a few of these allied with Donald Trump, the previous president, are particularly trying to cease cash to Ukraine.
Congress is working to move its annual appropriations payments earlier than a Sept. 30 deadline to maintain the U.S. authorities operating.