Sensing the danger of fatigue on the part of his biggest ally, the US, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington today in an attempt to persuade the US leadership to further support him, possibly with new, more powerful weapons, in the war with Russia.

Wearing his signature khaki T-shirt, Zelensky arrived this morning (local time) at Congress, which is debating possible new military and humanitarian aid for war-torn Ukraine.

“Air defense will be one of the main priorities” in the talks he will have in the American capital, he wrote earlier on the X platform (formerly Twitter).

The climate has changed since December 2022, when Zelensky was first in Washington after the Russian invasion. That visit, which was prepared with the utmost secrecy, is now history. Since then, the sense of urgency has subsided and the Republican opposition has regained control of the House of Representatives. Zelensky this time was not received with honors at the Capitol, the seat of Congress, but he will meet with the Republican and Democratic leaders of both Houses.

The most difficult meeting is estimated to be the one with the leader of the Republicans in the House, Kevin McCarthy. “I have questions to ask him. Can he account for the money we have already spent? What is the winning strategy?” said the conservative MP yesterday, who is being pressured by the right wing of his party to cut funding to Kiev.

The economic side of the issue is even more complicated as the danger of a “fiscal paralysis” in the US is looming if Congress fails to agree, before October 1, on the budget, even on a temporary basis. The consultations partly clash over money earmarked for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. It is “vital” that Congress release the $24 billion the administration is requesting to support the Ukrainians, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday. “Those who think the cost of supporting Ukraine today is high, just imagine how enormous it would be, in blood and money, if we abandoned them, if we let (Russian President Vladimir Putin) take over all of Ukraine and find himself in a much stronger position,” he added.

Later today, Zelensky will pass by the Pentagon and at 22.00 (Greece time) he will be received, together with his wife, by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The two presidents will have a conversation in the Oval Office, followed by the extended meeting of the delegations of the two countries.