Zelensky to Visit the US on the 12th... Will It Be a Breakthrough for Passing Ukraine Aid Bill?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Washington on the 12th at the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden. This visit marks Zelensky's third trip to the U.S. since the outbreak of war with Russia in February last year, drawing attention as a potential breakthrough in the stalled approval of the Ukraine war aid budget.

On the 10th (local time), according to U.S. political media Axios and others, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre announced in a statement that "President Biden invited President Zelensky to the White House to emphasize the United States' unwavering commitment to support." She explained, "As Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukraine, the two leaders will discuss the importance of continued U.S. support." This will be Zelensky's third visit to the White House since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He previously visited the White House twice, in December last year and last September, to request continued U.S. support from President Biden and to meet with congressional leaders.

On the 6th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden requested Congress to pass the security budget, including support for Ukraine, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC. President Biden pointed out that the House majority party, the Republicans, are showing a passive attitude, saying, "They are willingly giving Putin the best gift he could hope for."
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Zelensky's current visit comes amid a deadlock in the U.S. Congress over the approval of the Ukraine war aid budget. CNN described the visit as "occurring at a critical moment in congressional negotiations over the budget," and reported that "Zelensky plans to deliver a speech to the full Senate at the invitation of Congress." During his visit, Zelensky is also scheduled to meet with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, other senators, and Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

In October, President Biden sent Congress an emergency security budget totaling $106 billion (approximately 140 trillion won), including aid for Ukraine and Israel, and has been pressuring for its approval. Although the 2024 fiscal year (October 2023 to September 2024) began over two months ago, the passage of the Ukraine aid bill remains uncertain due to strong opposition from Republicans and some Democrats. In a speech on the 6th ahead of a vote on the bill, Biden urged, "(If the bill fails) it would be the greatest gift to Putin," but the bill was ultimately rejected. CNBC reported that "Republican lawmakers have demanded strong border controls to address the influx of immigrants at the southern border with Mexico as a condition for supporting the budget bill."

Domestic public opinion on the prolonged Ukraine war is also deteriorating. A recent Pew Research survey of 5,203 U.S. adults found that 31% of respondents believe U.S. support for the Ukraine war has gone too far. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, only 16% felt that too much support was being given to Ukraine, whereas 48% of Republicans and Republican supporters shared this view.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.