Zelenskyy, Biden deliver last-ditch plea to Congress for Ukraine aid

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Joe Biden delivered a last-ditch plea Tuesday to Republicans in Congress to pass a funding package before the holidays providing aid to war-ravaged Ukraine.

"Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver," Biden said in remarks from the White House after meeting with Zelenskyy in the afternoon. "We must prove him wrong."

Zelenskyy, making his third trip to Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, met with Democratic and Republican lawmakers first before heading to the White House in an all-day lobbying blitz. The trip comes amid Republican resistance to approving more U.S. aid to help Ukraine fight Russia.

"In Ukraine, we are fighting for our country and freedom and also yours," Zelenskyy said during a press conference at the White House, adding that Ukraine has "already made significant progress" in freeing half the territories Russia has occupied since the war began.

"We've shown that our courage and partnership are stronger than any Russian hostility," he said.

Yet it was not clear whether Biden and Zelenskyy changed the position of enough Republicans − or any − to improve an aid package's prospects in Congress. Several Republican lawmakers have said they won't approve additional funding for Ukraine without significant security measures at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"I reiterated to him that we stand with him and against Putin's brutal invasion," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. "Our first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security first."

The time crunch is on for lawmakers to pass an aid package as Russia's invasion continues. Both chambers of Congress are scheduled to leave town for the holidays at the end of the week. The White House has warned U.S. funding for Ukraine is expected to run out by the end of the year if not action is taken.

"It's stunning that we've gotten to this point," Biden said Tuesday, noting that Kremlin-operated media in Russia celebrated when Senate Republicans voted to block Ukraine aid last week.

"If you're being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you're doing," Biden said. "History will judge harshly those who turn their back on freedom's cause. Today, Ukraine's freedom is on the line."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., characterized Zelenskyy's meeting with senators as productive and powerful. He said Zelenskyy outlined to lawmakers the need for aid and how it will help Ukraine win the war against Russia.

"He made it clear, well we all made it clear, that if we lose, Putin wins and this will be very, very dangerous for the United States," Schumer said.

Biden earlier this year proposed an initial supplemental package, which includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine and additional funds to Israel and Taiwan. It also includes provisions to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico border, but not enough in the eyes of Republicans who have threatened to withhold support unless the package includes more border security funding.

Johnson calls for 'transformative change' at border

Discussions on a Ukraine funding bill came to a standstill over the weekend after negotiators failed to reach a deal incorporating Republican priorities into the aid package.

In the upper chamber, Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and James Lankford of Oklahoma, released their own proposal last month that would make it harder for migrants to enter the country by seeking humanitarian asylum. Those arriving at the U.S. border would only be allowed asylum if they could show they stopped at one other country between the U.S. and their home country and were denied entry.

House Republicans passed their own border security proposal earlier this year that would restore construction on a southwest border wall and slow asylum access. The plan would also require migrants prove it's “more likely than not” they would face persecution in their home, rather than the current standard that they face the “significant possibility” of danger.

Johnson has vowed he won't bring a foreign aid bill to the House floor if it doesn't includes the legislation. He called for a "transformative change" at the border Tuesday and said he has demanded answers from the Biden administration regarding transparency on Ukraine aid spending.

"It's not the House's issue right now. The issue is with the White House and the Senate, and I implore them to do their job because the time is urgent and we do want to do the right thing here," he said.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said Tuesday he does not think Zelenskyy's visit is going to change negotiations surrounding Ukraine funding.

"The president knows what he needs to do. Secure the border then we talk. I don't even know why this is hard," he said.

His Republican colleague, Chip Roy of Texas, said border provisions are "100% non-negotiable."

"I don't give a crap whether you bring Zelenskyy or not," Roy said Tuesday. "You have a fundamental duty to secure the border of the United States."

Republican senators question Zelenskyy on funding

During Zelenskyy's meeting in the Senate, lawmakers asked the Ukrainian president about accountability, transparency, objectives, timing and the impact of increased funding to Ukraine, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said after the meeting.

"Their country will fight to the end, but if we don't provide the resources... if we don't do that our other allies may very well not want to do it as well," Rounds said.

The South Dakota lawmaker said Zelenskyy was well received by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle and emphasized that after the southern border issue is resolved, his Republican colleagues will back the funding package.

"We're just simply saying we need the southern border secure and this is the way to do it," he said.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said Monday he understands his Republican colleagues' concerns about America's southern border, but called it "maddening to have us running out the clock and running out of time, just as Ukraine is getting into the depths of winter."

Will funding for Ukraine pass in the House?

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been a strong supporter of passing aid to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, but urged his Republican colleagues last week to oppose any votes advancing the supplemental package without "meaningful changes" to border funding.

The Senate breaks for recess Friday, with the House scheduled to leave for the holidays Thursday. Even if the Senate is able to pass the supplemental package before the end of the year, it is unlikely Johnson would bring it to the House floor for a vote before the holiday recess.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said Zelenskyy made a strong case for more funding and emphasized to senators the country's need for additional resources.

"Nobody should be going home Thursday," he added. "We've got a hell of a lot of work to do."

Riley Beggin and Ken Tran contributed to this reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden deliver last-ditch plea for Ukraine aid