Zelensky also will meet with some congressional leaders on Tuesday. Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) invited Zelensky to speak to senators Tuesday morning, according to a Senate leadership aide. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will also meet with Zelensky, spokesman Raj Shah said on X, formerly Twitter.
Biden will host Zelensky on Tuesday “to underscore the United States’ unshakable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal invasion,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “As Russia ramps up its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, the leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent needs and the vital importance of the United States’ continued support at this critical moment.”
Congress has passed billions of dollars worth of military and economic funding for Ukraine with bipartisan majorities since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, but securing additional money has become harder as more Republicans have questioned the scale of the funding and how it has been used.
Further complicating the passage of more Ukraine funding is the seeming stalemate the war has ground to over the past year. A highly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive — for which the U.S. and European allies sent billions of dollars worth of advanced military equipment — did not produce the gains U.S. and Ukrainian officials hoped for.
But the key hurdle for more Ukraine funding is in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where Zelensky has not yet been invited to speak with House Republicans.
The debate over Ukraine funding also has been mired in a broader battle over a $110 billion national security supplemental the White House requested that includes about $61 billion for Ukraine, as well as funding for Israel, humanitarian aid for Gaza and money for the U.S.-Mexico border. Senate Republicans last week blocked a procedural vote to advance the national security bill because it did not include changes to border policy.
Biden made an urgent plea to lawmakers last week to pass the measure, warning that a failure to do so would hand Russian President Vladimir Putin a victory and embolden him to invade European countries beyond Ukraine.
“This cannot wait,” Biden said. “It’s stunning that we’ve gotten to this point in the first place. … Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for and abandon our global leadership not just in Ukraine, but beyond that.”
At the start of Russia’s invasion, there was widespread bipartisan support for helping Ukraine defend itself — particularly because Biden vowed not to put U.S. troops on the ground. Although securing the funding became increasingly politicized as more members of the GOP — especially in the House — began to oppose sending billions of dollars overseas, Congress has always managed to pass the full amount the White House has asked for.
There is increasing concern in the Biden administration that Congress will not pass more money for Ukraine and that military funding will dry up in a matter of weeks. The sort of dire situation the White House says it finds itself in now is unprecedented over the nearly two-year war.
On Sunday, the Guardian reported that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a far-right politician, will meet with Republican lawmakers in Washington to discuss an end to U.S. military funding for Ukraine. The meeting, according to the Guardian, will be hosted by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, as part of a two-day event that will start Monday and will include members of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs and Hungarian embassy staffers.
Orban, who has a close relationship with Putin, has been critical of efforts to support Ukraine in the war and has maintained Hungary’s ties with Russia despite tensions between Europe and Moscow. He also has opposed efforts to add Ukraine to the European Union.
Spokespeople for the Heritage Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting. It is unclear which Republican lawmakers were invited to the event.
The White House’s invitation to Zelensky is part of a broader effort to shore up support, especially as U.S. officials regard the Ukrainian president as the most effective advocate for his country who can sway people when meeting with them face-to-face.
When Zelensky visited Washington in September, however, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) denied his request to address a joint meeting of Congress.
Mariana Alfaro and Liz Goodwin contributed to this report.
