Zelensky: US, Ukraine ‘don’t have any disagreements’ on military strategy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that he and the United States are in agreement when it comes to military strategy.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Zelensky if he and the U.S. were “on the same page” over Ukraine’s military strategy, pointing to Kyiv’s recent attacks of Russian targets in Crimea.

“We think the same way. We don’t have any disagreements,” Zelensky said, speaking through a translator, on CNN’s “The Situation Room.”

Zelensky is expected to meet with congressional leadership and a limited number of lawmakers on Thursday during a visit to Washington. He earlier on Tuesday delivered a speech to the United Nations in New York warning the Russia would expand its fight if it is not stopped in Ukraine.

His visit this week comes amid growing skepticism among Republican lawmakers over additional aid to Ukraine. It also comes as the House GOP struggles to agree on a stopgap measure to keep the government funded amid ongoing spending negotiations.

Zelensky told Blitzer that he will be meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) during his visit to Capitol Hill. When asked about growing hesitancy toward providing Ukraine with additional aid, Zelensky said it was difficult for lawmakers to compare the war with domestic problems if they haven’t seen it up close.

“It’s so difficult to understand when you are in war, and when you are not in war,” Zelensky said. “Even when you come to the war, to the country which is in war, when you come to one day, you can understand more than you live, you hear, you think, you read. No, you can’t compare. It’s different situation. That’s why I’m thinking we can’t compare these challenges.”

The White House asked Congress to attach supplemental funding for Ukraine, along with disaster relief and border security spending, to a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government. A GOP-backed proposal put forward Sunday night did not include additional funding for Ukraine.

President Biden has been adamant about keeping up support for Ukraine, as the U.S. has already provided billions of dollars in aid to the country. He called on the U.S. and its allies at the U.N. to stick up for Ukraine in its effort against Russia.

“If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?” he said. “I respectfully suggest the answer is no. We must stand up to this naked aggression today to deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow.”

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