Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to make a final appeal to US lawmakers, asking them to continue supporting his country in its fight against Russia.

For the third time in a year Zelensky will be found today in the Congresswhere intense negotiations are underway for new American aid to Kiev, and later he will also visit White House.

“If anyone is inspired by the unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it is only (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his sick cabal,” the Ukrainian president said in a speech to US military personnel in Washington yesterday, Monday.

New declassified US intelligence shows that “Russia appears to believe that a military stalemate over the winter will deplete Western support for Ukraine” and ultimately give Russia the upper hand, despite Russian losses, Adrienne Watson said. spokesman for the White House Security Council.

In three days, on Friday, the US Congress adjourns for this year, and Republicans have so far refused to pass a bill that would provide $106 billion in aid, mostly to Ukraine and Israel, unless changes are made to immigration. US policy.

American President Joe Biden presented the situation in harsh terms, commenting that “History will judge severely those who turn their backs on the cause of freedom.”

According to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, “this will be Zelensky’s most important visit” to the US.

They’re running out of money

Democrats favor releasing new aid to Ukraine, something Republicans aren’t entirely opposed to. But they are calling for major changes in US immigration policy, and that’s where the negotiations are at a standstill.

In addition, Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson noted in a letter to Biden that lawmakers need to receive more information about the government’s goals in Ukraine.

Zelensky will try to convince the American parliamentarians of the need to approve the new aid to his country today at 09:00 (local time, 16:00 Greece time). He will then hold talks with Johnson, a meeting eagerly awaited by the entire American political class.

The White House warned Congress on December 4 that the US government will not have the resources to provide more weapons to Ukraine after the end of the year. In total the US has approved $110 billion in aid to Kiev since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

For their part, Ukrainian officials stress that more weapons are needed to avoid millions of people in the country being plunged into darkness due to Russian incursions, as happened last winter.

The risk of fatigue spreading cannot also be ruled out as the EU debates continuing its military and economic aid to Ukraine.

Without new resources, Putin “will go through Ukraine and across Europe,” Schumer warned.

Zelensky will meet with Biden at the White House in the early afternoon.

An opportunity for the American president “to learn the latest news from the front (…) but also to clearly state to the Ukrainian people that we will continue to support them, especially in this very difficult period”, underlined the representative of the White House Security Council John Kirby.

After their meeting in the Oval Office, the two leaders will hold a joint press conference.