Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was yesterday to join a video summit with the leaders of the G7, chair Japan said, hours after unexpectedly skipping a virtual meeting with US senators, to help drum up support for funding for Ukraine.
The Washington meeting on Tuesday was to update senators on the situation in Ukraine and press them to vote on a US$106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel.
Almost two years after Russia’s invasion, signs are growing that Western support for Ukraine is fraying just as a counteroffensive struggles and as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s oil revenues rebound.
Photo: Reuters / handout / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service
In the meeting hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Zelenskiy was to “join the first part,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
Besides Ukraine, the talks were to cover the Middle East, support for developing countries and artificial intelligence, a White House official said.
Zelenskiy unexpectedly canceled the planned videolink appearance with US senators due to a “last-minute” hiccup, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
The senator pressed ahead with the briefing only for the proceedings to turn into a war of words, with several Republican lawmakers walking out.
The US Congress is more divided over backing for Ukraine than it has been at any time during the nearly two-year conflict, with the country fast exhausting the military aid provided by the US so far.
Senate Republicans are making their support for additional Ukraine funding contingent on Democrats accepting reforms to the asylum system and tightened border security — measures the Democrats have already rejected.
The White House’s budget chief on Monday warned Congress that failure to agree on fresh funds for Ukraine by the end of the year would “kneecap” Kyiv on the battlefield, while US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen on Tuesday said the situation in Ukraine is indeed dire.
“We can hold ourselves responsible for Ukraine’s defeat if we don’t manage to get this funding to Ukraine,” she said as she began a three-day trip to Mexico.
“Ukraine is just running out of money,” Yellen said.
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