The Christmas spirit, which is visually reflected in an extraordinary display of luminous decoration, will be there giving color. But the red carpet to receive the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is increasingly threadbare.
Zelensky returns to Washington today, Tuesday, invited by President Joe Biden, after his Administration made public last week that the coffers are almost empty and urged legislators to approve an endowment of at least 60 billion to maintain military aid. Kyiv in its war against the Russian invader.
Republican legislators in general, and specifically the most ultra sector of the Lower House, acted as if they heard it raining. More money for Ukraine? Agree, although we must also reinforce the security of the southern border and establish policies to reduce the arrival of immigrants by reforming asylum and detention laws.
The visit is a joint move between Biden and his guest to appeal to the mercy that is supposed on these dates of good feelings and best wishes for the future.
“The meeting will underscore the United States’ unwavering commitment to the embattled nation as it resists Russia’s invasion,” explained White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“As Russia intensifies its missile and drone attacks, the two leaders will address Ukraine’s urgent need and the vital importance for the United States to continue providing aid at this crucial time,” he said.
The Ukrainian president finds himself at a critical crossroads. The counteroffensive has not given the expected results. The war front is stagnant, the passage of time is benefiting Vladimir Putin.
And, in turn, Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, with whom Zelensky spoke on Sunday in Buenos Aires, at the inauguration of Javier Milei, is doing nothing more than putting a spanner in the works for the European Union to stop the contributions.
In the US there is not a single name that plays that role. There are many among Republicans, especially those who defend the nationalist retreat from Trumpism, who do not want to invest more money abroad and less against Vladimir Putin. A few days ago they blocked a $110 billion emergency initiative that was intended for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Senator J.D. Vance, one of Donald Trump’s great admirers, stated that Ukraine needs to cede territory to Russia to end the war. “This is what interests our country most,” he added on CNN. This statement, which accepts the fracture of Ukraine’s sovereignty, makes clear the opposition of a large part of conservative legislators to Kyiv. The effort runs into the calendar. The forecast is that Congress will begin vacation this week.
Before going to the White House, Zelensky will meet with the senators, where the Democratic majority still embraces him, and will have a meeting with Mike Johnson, the president of the Lower House, another Republican who is squeamish about giving a blank check to Ukraine without compensation to face what conservatives consider to be the true invasion of the United States: the entry of undocumented immigrants from Mexico.
In US society, partly due to the great propaganda machine of the right, there is a fatigue in solidarity with Ukraine, an issue that for many has also been relegated due to the war between Israel and Hamas.
According to a survey by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan, almost half (48%) of registered American voters believe that “too much” has been spent on supporting Kyiv. This survey confirms the division between political options. The percentage rises to 65% among Republicans, compared to 52% of independents and 32% of Democrats.
