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Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, was the talk of the town in 2022. His posters and photographs were in every newspaper. He was the most talked about personality globally. However, that is not the case anymore. With the Hamas and Israel war, the landscape is changing. Western leaders and their attention are now on Israel, with their support and funds going in that direction as well. Where does this leave the Ukraine and Russia war? Does that mean Zelensky’s support is waning in the US parliament? Well, that is exactly how it looks, and his visit to the US has more or less confirmed those suspicions.
Zelensky needs more money to fight the war. US President Joe Biden has asked the parliament for more funds, approximately $61 billion. The Republicans in Congress, however, refused. In order to change their minds, Zelensky took a flight and landed in the US. He spent the whole Tuesday in the capital city, Washington DC. He had several meetings with Republicans, Democrats, and President Joe Biden. His mission was to persuade lawmakers to give him more funds. He failed to do so. The Republicans especially seem challenging to convince.
Zelensky landed and went straight to the parliament. There, he met senior democrats and republicans. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader of the US Senate, called the meeting ‘powerful .’ He said, “If he (Zelensky) gets the help, he will win the war. On the other hand, he made it clear, and we all made it clear that if he loses, Putin wins. And this will be very, very dangerous for the United States.” Using the word powerful to describe the meeting is what confuses one. A meeting is either good or bad. Someone says that when talks go sideways or have no meaningful result.
Comparing the atmosphere of Zelensky’s previous visit to Washington in December last year to this visit speaks volumes. The atmosphere back then was very different. Kyiv’s counter-offensive had been a success, leaving Russia isolated. Ukraine’s flags were draped everywhere. Zelensky even addressed a joint session of the US Congress. This time, however, things seemed very lowkey and business-like. Kyiv’s second counter-offensive has failed, making US lawmakers question why they should send more funds.
Republicans only agree on giving the aid with one condition. They want stricter immigration curbs on the Southern border. Mike Jhonson, US House speaker, said, “Our first condition on any National Security Supplemental Spending Package is about our national security first. The border is an absolute catastrophe, and this is because of the policies of this White House and its administration.” Biden is now in a challenging position. If he passes the bill to please the Republicans, some Democrats might not support him.
The White House says aid will run out by the end of this month. Moreover, Congress will now convene after the holidays in the new year. The situation right now seems very tough for the Ukrainian and American presidents. This time, Biden’s tone was changed. He was usually very enthusiastic in his previous speeches, promising endless support as long as it took. However, this time, he says they will continue supporting Ukraine as long as possible. Both statements express very different sentiments. This indicates the fact that the president might have made a shift in his policy towards Ukraine.
Biden has approved 200 million dollars. However, that is far from what Ukraine has asked for, which happens to be around $61 billion. Zelensky said, ‘Financing is not a problem, morale is and with or without American money Ukraine will fight.’ However, the reality is bitter. Ukraine is bound for defeat if the US pulls out its financial support. More than 100 senior EU lawmakers have written letters to US Congress requesting them to keep the aid for Ukraine ongoing.
Zelensky himself has some opposition in his country. The mayor of Kyiv says he is becoming an autocrat. The commander-in-chief says the war is at a stalemate, putting both of them at odds. The EU is also holding a summit to discuss the issue of Ukraine’s membership. All of this goes in Russia’s favor, which is taking advantage of the situation. Zelensky has three options now. Time will tell what he does. One thing is for sure: the world has moved on from the Russia-Ukraine war, and it is no longer the talk of the town.
The writer is a student of Peace and Conflict Studies.
