Zelenskyy to address U.S. senators on eve of Congressional vote on aid to Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address U.S. senators on Tuesday via secure video conference. The conversation will take place at a secret briefing, according to The Hill.
Zelenskyy will inform the senators about the current state of the war in Ukraine and request additional military assistance. This conversation will occur a day before the Senate votes on the allocation of a $61 billion package for Ukraine.
“The administration has invited President Zelenskyy to address senators … as part of our classified briefing tomorrow so we can hear directly from him precisely what’s at stake in this vote,” Schumer announced on the Senate floor. “I ask that all senators — all senators — attend this important briefing.”
U.S. assistance to Ukraine
On October 1, the U.S. Congress passed a temporary budget bill that did not provide any new funding for Ukraine's assistance, as it had been decided to deliberate on this initiative separately.
Later, President Joe Biden proposed that Congress allocate $106 billion, with $60 billion of these funds earmarked to help Ukraine. The funding package also includes allocations for Israel, the Indo-Pacific region, and border security.
On December 4, media outlets reported that the president's plan would be voted upon in Congress's upper house.
The White House has emphasized that new arms cannot be furnished to Ukraine in the absence of congressional funding.
