As Zelensky Pleads for Aid, Republicans Demand Border Concessions From Biden

WASHINGTON — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine hit a brick wall of resistance from congressional Republicans on Tuesday as he made an urgent plea for quick approval of more aid for his country’s war against Russian invaders, an inauspicious start to a day of meetings on Capitol Hill and at the White House.

In separate private meetings at the Capitol with senators and Speaker Mike Johnson, Zelenskyy said that more U.S. help was critical to his fight and to holding back further Russian advances into Europe. But Johnson and several Senate Republicans emerged from their meetings with him unmoved. They reiterated their stance that they would not agree to any new aid for Ukraine unless President Joe Biden and Democrats bowed to their demands to clamp down on migration at the southern border of the United States.

“Our first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security,” Johnson told reporters shortly after noting that he “reiterated” to Zelenskyy that “we stand with him against Putin’s brutal invasion.”

Zelenskyy received a similar message during his meeting with senators. During that session, a number of Republicans told Zelensky directly that securing the U.S. border with Mexico was key to unlocking aid for his nation.

“I told President Zelenskyy, ‘Here’s the problem: It’s got nothing to do with you,’” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters after the session.

The chances of Congress passing an assistance package for Ukraine before the end of the year have grown bleak, after Republicans blocked the measure last week and polls showed Americans were skeptical of extending additional financial help.

— Johnson, who has voted repeatedly against aiding Ukraine, said that he had a good meeting with Zelenskyy. But he accused the White House of failing to articulate a clear path to Ukraine’s victory, which Republicans also have said is a necessary condition to unlock military aid.

— Republican resistance to helping Ukraine has steadily grown on Capitol Hill, and the star power Zelenskyy once enjoyed there has faded considerably. Tuesday’s tableau is a stark change from the scene that played out when Zelenskyy first visited the Capitol a year ago, when he was largely hailed by lawmakers as a hero. They invited him to address a joint meeting of Congress and capped off his trip by approving nearly $50 billion to arm and aid his nation. This time, Zelenskyy made no public statement at all at the Capitol.

— After his meetings on Capitol Hill, Zelenskyy was to meet Biden at the White House, where they are scheduled to hold a joint news conference.

— Biden had hoped Zelenskyy would sway members of Congress to pass a $110.5 billion emergency spending bill that includes $50 billion more in security aid for Ukraine. Republicans are filibustering that package, tying Ukraine aid to restrictions on asylum claims at the United States’ southern border. Democrats, with the support of the White House, have so far signaled support for only some of the restrictions.

— Ukraine has struggled with its counteroffensive against Russia. While the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in aid, Ukraine’s top military commander, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, said last month that the war had reached a stalemate, as deadly battles yielded few territorial gains.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .