The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, canceled late Tuesday the speech he had planned to deliver behind closed doors before the Senate on the eve of the vote on a new military aid package of more than $61 billion.
The planned speech, organized by the White House, who is advocating for increased aid to Kyiv and faces strong reluctance from Republican senators. The senators are pushing for additional measures, including boosting federal funds to reinforce the southern border, citing concerns about the economic toll incurred by the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has already surpassed 75 billion dollars.
In this sense, the idea was for Zelensky to appeal to GOP senators to authorize this disbursement. Finally, without further explanation, he decided to cancel his intervention. "Something came up at the last minute," said the head of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, without offering further details.
Before it was learned that he would not appear, Schumer told the Senate: "The last time he spoke to us, his message was direct and unsparing. Without more aid from Congress, Ukraine does not have the means to defeat Vladimir Putin." Before this, on Monday, The White House warned Congress that money for Ukraine is running out and will run out before the end of the year.
Given the lack of agreement between Democrats and Republicans, the Democrats, who have the majority in the Senate, have decided to force the vote on the aid package for Ukraine to take place this Wednesday.
