Kiev, Dec 6:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called off a high-profile briefing with US lawmakers amid an impasse over future US funding for the country.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky abruptly canceled the briefing with US senators and White House officials yesterday due to a “last-minute” snag, according to a high-ranking Democrat. The sit-down then became heated as lawmakers shifted focus to debate over US border policy and continued aid to Kiev.
It came after a top Ukrainian official warned they are in danger of losing the war against Russia if more US military aid is not approved.
Senate leader Chuck Schumer did not explain why Mr Zelensky was a no-show. After Zelensky’s sudden cancellation, the briefing grew contentious, with some Republicans, including Senators Deb Fischer and Mitt Romney, even walking out early.
The chamber’s top Democrat said the Ukrainian president was occupied with a “last-minute” matter, without providing further detail.
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said earlier on Tuesday there was a “big risk” of Ukrainian defeat without continued US support.
On Monday, however, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, seemed dismissive of the latest pleas to provide tens of billions of dollars more in funding.
President Joe Biden’s top budget official, Shalanda Young, warned that Washington was “out of money” for Kiev earlier this week, stating that “without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stocks.”
The funding impasse comes as fighting on the frontlines appears to have reached a practical stalemate.
