September 21, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told US senators Thursday that if US money for the war dries up, it would have a cascading effect and eventually lead European countries to do the same

Zelensky warned Russia would win if the US walked away. 

“You give money, we give lives,” he said in his message to senators, according to attendees. 

More context: Republican leaders in the US Congress are now weighing cutting Ukraine assistance from their long-term spending bill to fund the Pentagon in order to win over hardline holdouts and unlock the gridlock on the House floor, two sources told CNN.

CNN's Melanie Zanona and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Thursday afternoon — where the US leader is looking forward to hearing an in-person perspective on "the war and the road ahead,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.

The US will not be providing Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine, however, Sullivan said — despite requests from Ukraine.

It is the sixth time the leaders meet and it “comes at a significant moment, as Ukrainian forces continue to make progress in their counteroffensive and just after Russia launched yet another brutal wave of airstrikes against five cities, five cities in Ukraine that hit critical civilian infrastructure and knocked out power for many people, many parts of the country,” Sullivan said.

Biden will also announce former US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker as special representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery, who will be tasked with “engaging the private sector, partner countries and Ukrainian counterparts to generate international investment in Ukraine and work with Ukraine to make the reforms necessary to improve Ukraine's business climate," Sullivan noted.

The official also expressed confidence that Congress would pass additional funding for Ukraine, despite comments from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that Biden “hasn’t made the case to the American public."

“I would say that Speaker McCarthy has himself been an advocate for the supply of military assistance to Ukraine, has voted for previous packages, and that Republicans in both the House and Senate in very large numbers have been strong advocates and supporters for this — haven't just wanted to hear the case from us, they've been going out and themselves making the case to their constituents into the world for why this is so important,” Sullivan said.

Most Republicans would like to see the United States scale back its support of Ukraine in that country's war effort against Russia, multiple surveys this fall suggest, although much of the public overall continues to favor actions such as sanctions against Russia and help with Ukrainian intelligence gathering.

A CBS News poll earlier in September found that 36% of US adults said the Biden administration should be doing less to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, with 38% saying the White House was handling things about right, and 26% that it should be doing more.

Most Republicans, 56%, say the Biden administration should be doing less in Ukraine, a view shared by 41% of independents and 15% of Democrats.

Republican opposition to Ukraine aid has grown over the course of this year, CBS finds. While 73% of Republicans currently favor continuing sanctions, they're split on sending aid and supplies — 50% favor this, down from 57% in February. Just 39% support sending weapons, which is down from 49% in February. By contrast, solid majorities of Democrats continue to back all three of these proposals.

In a Fox News poll released last weekend, registered voters gave negative marks for the US response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with 43% approving and 54% disapproving. That's down from May when views were about evenly split with 47% who said they approved and 48% who said they disapproved.

A CNN poll released earlier this summer also charted growing Republican opposition to aid in Ukraine and found 55% of the full public opposed to Congress authorizing more funding to support Ukraine, rising to 71% among Republicans.

A majority of the public overall did favor some specific forms of aid, such as help with intelligence gathering (63% support) and military training (53% support). 

Republican leaders in the US Congress are now weighing cutting Ukraine assistance from their long-term spending bill to fund the Pentagon in order to win over hardline holdouts and unlock the gridlock on the House floor, two sources told CNN.

While cutting Ukraine assistance might win over hardliners, it’s unclear if the GOP’s moderates, appropriators and defense hawks, who are already furious with the party’s right flank, would go along with that change — especially on the same Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

A bloc of hardliners tanked a procedural vote on the defense bill today, in part because of opposition to the bill’s $300 million in Ukraine funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance initiative. That initiative, however, is the same aid that has been funded since 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea.

The bill specifies the money can be used for training, equipment, lethal assistance, logistics support, supplies, services, salaries, stipends sustainment and intel. The defense spending bill includes all kinds of funding for foreign governments to help them including money for Kuwait.

After the failed vote, a number of GOP lawmakers — some visibly deflated — decamped to House GOP Whip’s office to figure out a path forward.

Remember: This bill is not the same as the additional aid for Ukraine that the White House has requested, which hardliners also oppose. US President Joe Biden asked Congress last month for more than $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs. The request includes more than $13 billion in security assistance and $7.3 billion for economic and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.

The top Democrat in the US Senate emphasized the importance of Congress approving more aid for Ukraine as soon as possible after a meeting at the Capitol with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“I told the members that right now, this courageous man is at the fulcrum of democracy and freedom, and my message to President Zelensky and to my colleagues was simple — America must always stand with our friends around the world, and that includes the people of Ukraine,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday.

Congress faces a deadline to pass a funding bill by the end of next week. Schumer said it is "very clear" that if there is a government shutdown or a temporary measure passed that does not include aid for Ukraine "the damage that would occur on Ukraine’s campaign would be devastating."

The majority leader argued that supporting Kyiv is bigger than just helping the Ukrainian people. He criticized some conservative Republicans for opposing Ukraine aid and attacked House Republicans for their partisan proposals for short-term government funding. 

"As President Zelensky reminded us, it’s about American security as well, because a victorious Putin would be an emboldened Putin," Schumer said.

In his floor remarks Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell welcomed Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky to the US Capitol and defended US aid to Ukraine.

On Zelensky’s visit, the GOP senator said he was glad that “our colleagues got an opportunity to hear from him firsthand and ask questions about the state of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.”

Earlier, Zelensky described his meeting with US senators on Capitol Hill as a "great dialogue." Prior to meeting with the senators, he had also met with lawmakers from the US House of Representatives. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would not commit to reporters on putting Ukraine aid on the chamber's floor by end of the year despite what he described as a productive meeting with Zelensky, insisting instead domestic spending is a priority.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his meeting with US senators on Capitol Hill on Thursday was a "great dialogue."

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that Zelensky had warned them about the dangers of not passing more Ukraine funding.

"There was a single sentence that sums it all up, and I'm quoting him verbatim, Mr. Zelensky said, ‘if we don't get the aid, we will lose the war.’ That's a quote from him,” he said. 

US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell added it was a “good meeting.”

Earlier Thursday, Zelensky also met with lawmakers from the US House of Representatives. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would not commit to putting Ukraine aid on the chamber's floor by end of the year despite what he described as a productive meeting with Zelensky, insisting instead domestic spending is a priority.

White House meeting this afternoon: President Joe Biden is set to welcome Zelensky to the White House this afternoon. Biden is seeking to hear a “battlefield perspective” from Zelensky as a second autumn of war approaches, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told reporters.

Biden is expected to talk to Zelensky about battlefield needs, Kirby said, but it comes amid CNN reporting that ATACMS, the long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, may not be part of a new weapons package, something Zelensky suggested to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer would be a disappointment. ATACMS are “not off the table,” Kirby said.

The Biden administration has been asking Congress for more Ukraine funding amid skepticism from some GOP lawmakers.

CNN's Lauren Fox contributed reporting to this post.

The death toll from Thursday's Russian strikes on the Kherson region has risen.

Since the beginning of the day, five people had been killed and 10 others injured, said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of Kherson Region Military Administration.

The strikes in Kherson were part of a larger Russian attack across Ukraine, just hours before President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to meet US President Joe Biden at the White House.

The attack marked the first time in six months that Russia has launched attacks on Ukraine’s power infrastructure, according to the state energy provider Ukrenergo, just as the country gears up for colder seasons that will require more energy use for heating.

Last year, Russia began a series of intense attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in October.

Asked repeatedly if he would commit to putting a $24 billion Ukraine aid package on the floor, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would not commit to moving the aid forward despite what he described as a productive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, insisting instead that domestic spending is a priority.

He said he raised issues such as accountability in his meeting with Zelensky, and the Ukrainian president answered a series of questions too. The House speaker described the conversation as "good" and "productive."

McCarthy also told reporters he was asked to host a joint session of Congress, but declined because he said there wasn't time with Congress' busy schedule and that Zelensky just got one last year.

Looming shutdown: Zelensky’s visit is coming as House Republicans are engaged in a bitter fight over government funding on the domestic front and as the prospects for more money for Ukraine – while very much alive in the Senate – are far less clear in the House even with the Biden administration sending over a request for $24 billion in support.

The White House has said there is a “critical need” for Congress to grant the funding request for Ukraine for its counteroffensive capabilities, and that the aid “will have a significant impact on Ukraine’s fight.”