On the morning of Thursday, September 21, President Volodimir Zelenskyy arrived in Washington D.C. to hold a private meeting with President Joe Biden. With no plans to hold a press conference together afterwards, Zelenskyy had high hopes to make his case in front of a joint session of Congress. Unlucky for Zelenskyy, McCarthy was not about to let that happen.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is not keen on the idea of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy making his case in front of a joint session of Congress.
He believes that Zelenskyy should not be given one of America’s most prominent soapboxes to ask for billions in increased funding.
When asked if Zelenskyy would have the opportunity to address all of Congress, McCarthy answered with questions about whether or not Zelenskyy was elected into office and reminded reporters that he has no obligation to commit anything.
????BREAKING: Kevin McCarthy has rejected Zelenskyy’s ???????? request to an address to Congress. pic.twitter.com/FkQKC9r24k
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) September 21, 2023
Last year, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allowed Zelenskyy to speak before a joint session when Democrats had control over the House and bipartisan support for Ukraine was still strong.
Since then, over $100 billion has been spent propping up Ukraine against Russia’s potential large-scale invasion by providing them with items such as surveillance equipment, firearms, drones and other modern warfare resources so they can defend themselves.
Despite this financial backing from the U.S., Zelenskyy is now requesting another $24 billion which is being met with hesitance due to weak summer offensive performances combined with criticism from conservatives questioning why more money needs to be spent without accountability already present for funds already provided.
When asked about the situation by reporters, McCarthy stated “What is the plan for victory? I think that’s what the American public wants to know.”
Later on in the day, Zelenskyy was expected to hold a private meeting with McCarthy and his allies – likely done as an attempt to keep those on his right flank content while there remains immense pressure against increasing spending any further than what it already has been set at by officials like himself and Lindsay Graham (R-SC).
Senator Lindsay Graham spoke about his takeaways from a recent briefing regarding Ukraine’s situation: “If you were in that briefing and you came away believing that what we do in Ukraine doesn’t affect our national security interest in the world, you literally had your ears closed.”
