December 12, 2023 - Zelensky meets with Biden and lawmakers in push for more Ukraine aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Washington on Tuesday to make an in-person plea for the military and economic aid he said is necessary to continue Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky, visiting Washington for the third time since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, met with members of Congress Tuesday morning and President Joe Biden.

The visit also comes as a deal for a supplemental funding package that includes crucial aid for the war-torn country remains logjammed by congressional Republicans who want the Biden administration to make concessions on border security and immigration policy in exchange for the aid package.

A deal remains unlikely with a holiday recess looming.

Here are key takeaways from Zelensky’s day in the nation’s capital:

Biden says US will support Ukraine "as long as we can": During a joint news conference with the Ukrainian leader Tuesday, Biden vowed the US will support Ukraine for “as long as we can.”

The comment represented a subtle but noteworthy shift in public messaging from the president, who previously said the US will support the country in its defense against the Russian invasion for “as long as it takes.”

Biden’s comments could represent a more pragmatic view from the president on the future of Ukraine aid, with time — and potentially political will — running out before Congress breaks for the holidays to pass more funding, and with future security assistance uncertain under a potential new presidential administration.

Months ago, Biden vowed the country’s “commitment to Ukraine will not weaken.”

Zelensky tells senators he expects US to come through for Ukraine: Earlier in the day, Zelensky told senators that he’s still counting on US support to come through for his nation, according to Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

The questions from senators were mostly about accountability for US aid and Zelensky tried to assure senators that no money would be used corruptly in Ukraine, according to GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota.

In a social media post following the meeting, Zelensky described the conversation as “friendly and candid” and thanked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell “for their personal leadership in rallying bipartisan support for Ukraine among U.S. legislators.”

Some Republicans who attended that meeting said they remained unmoved after hearing Zelensky’s request for assistance, insisting Biden still needed to bargain.

Johnson says White House response "insufficient": Following a roughly 30-minute meeting with Zelensky – their first one-on-one encounter – House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Biden administration’s response to congressional Republicans’ demands has been “insufficient,” and reiterated his stance that a deal remains unlikely without a “transformative change” at the border.

Biden releases $200 million in Ukraine funding: Speaking to reporters during a meeting with Zelensky in the Oval Office, Biden announced he would be releasing $200 million in funding already approved by Congress to help Ukraine with its defensive needs.

While that’s a small fraction of the $60 billion sought by Biden for Ukraine in his supplemental funding request, the funds will be released shortly, the president said.

Read more about Zelensky's trip to Washington

Vice President Kamala Harris met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday to discuss the White House’s support of “Ukraine’s security and people,” according to a White House readout.

In their meeting, the leaders discussed Ukraine’s “efforts to advance economic recovery.” 

They also talked about the importance of “continued international support” of Ukraine and how to sustain the “morale of the Ukrainian people," the readout said.

Both United States President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back against the assertion that Ukraine's counteroffensive is stalling, providing examples of successes on the battlefield.

Biden first reiterated a figure mentioned earlier in the joint news conference by Zelensky: that Ukraine has taken back 50% of the territories seized by Russia. He also pointed to Ukraine’s move to push back the Russian navy so it could export grain in the Black Sea.

Zelensky’s talks in Washington come at a critical moment, as the White House warns American aid to Ukraine could imminently dry up and talks over new assistance are stalled in Congress.

Zelensky, speaking Ukrainian, said the successes on the battlefield were “not an easy success,” but his country has made “serious steps forward.”

He clarified that this doesn’t necessarily apply to big cities, but assured that they had a clear plan to move forward. He declined to give details of those plans publicly.

Biden also said that it was because of bipartisan support from more than 50 countries that Ukraine was able to accomplish these things.

“We need to ensure Putin continues to fail in Ukraine and Ukraine to succeed and the best way for that… to do that is to pass the supplement,” Biden said, referring to additional funding that is stalled in Congress.

US President Joe Biden has long vowed American support for Ukraine will persist “as long as it takes.”

But on Tuesday, Biden appeared to revise that commitment, saying in a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the US would “continue to supply Ukraine with critical weapons and equipment as long as we can.”

It was a shift that reflected the major headwinds in approving new American assistance to Ukraine. After Zelensky’s meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, it appeared no clearer that new aid would be forthcoming before the end of the year.

Opening his news conference, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “banking on the United States failing to deliver” new aid, and said American divisions on providing new aid was playing into Russia’s hands. 

“We must, we must, we must prove him wrong,” Biden said.

He noted the host of a Russian state television program had praised Republicans for blocking the passage of new Ukraine aid last week.

“If you’re being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you're doing,” Biden said. 

Biden later defined US expectations for Ukraine as the war approaches the end of its second year. 

CNN's Betsy Klein contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outlined his country's goals going into 2024 during remarks from the White House Tuesday.

"Today, President Biden and I discussed how to increase our strengths" for next year, he said, and noted three elements.

First, Zelensky noted air defense and efforts to destroy Russian logistics on Ukraine's land. "We aim to win the air battle, crushing Russian air dominance," he said, adding that "who controls the skies controls the war's duration."

Second, Zelensky said that he met with an American defense company. He said he received advice on how to make Ukraine's defense industry work faster and more effectively. "Together, Ukraine and America can transform democracy's arsenal," he said.

Third, Zelensky said he informed Biden that Ukraine has "fulfilled all the recommendations from the European Commission" in preparation to negotiate his country's ascension to the European Union.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a thankful message of unity at a joint news conference Tuesday with United States President Joe Biden.

The Ukrainian president said he was glad to have the invitation to come to Washington, DC, to convey to Biden what his country has achieved in its fight against Russia.

"We've already made significant progress. We've shown that our partnership is stronger than any Russian hostility," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine has freed 50% of the territories Russia occupied.

He pointed out that Ukrainian soldiers have been "defending freedom" for nearly two years and “thanks to Ukraine’s success in defense, other European nations are safe from the Russian aggression unlike in the past."

"We stand firm, no matter what Putin tries. He hasn't won any victory," the Ukrainian president added.

President Joe Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is counting on the US to fail to provide support to Ukraine during remarks at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Tuesday.

"We'll continue to supply Ukraine with critical weapons and equipment as long as we can; including $200 million I just approved today" in weapons and military aid, Biden said, but added that supplemental funding is needed to continue US support.

United States President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are holding a joint news conference.

The Ukrainian president is in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. He held meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and with Biden at the White House.

Zelensky is advocating for more US funding for Ukraine as it fights its war against Russia, though Congress appears to be no closer to a deal that would provide additional aid.

This is Zelensky’s third trip to Washington since the war began.

During a meeting US President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the goal is to “take away Russian superiority and disrupt its offensive operations” in 2024.

Zelensky said that another aim of his is “to boost the development of the arsenals of democracy” of Ukraine with the help of American weapons. He said he would like to discuss speeding up the weapon co-production with his American counterpart. 

“Thanks to all the workers, engineers, managers who build the strength of American weapons helping Ukraine boost the development of arsenals of democracy. President Biden agreed, and we spoke about it in September to join weapon co-production, it is very important for us,” Zelensky said during the meeting Tuesday in the Oval Office.

The Ukrainian president also noted that his forces are “advancing” on the battlefield and highlighted Ukraine’s success in the Black Sea.

Zelensky said his country is "gradually becoming less dependent on aid, and we are moving in the right direction." He said he wanted to discuss with Biden how to continue to strengthen Ukrainian capabilities "especially enhancing our air defense and ability to destroy Russia’s logistics."