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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, center, is escorted by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday.

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.

Tuesday's news conference was held inside the Indian Treaty Room of the White House's Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

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, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold a joint news conference at the White House on Tuesday.

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 speaks at the news conference Tuesday.

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 speaks during Tuesday's news conference at the White House.

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 speaks during Tuesday's joint news conference.

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks to reporters while meeting with US President Joe Biden in the White House Oval Office on Tuesday.

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.”

US President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House Oval Office on Tuesday.

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that if Congress fails to pass Ukraine-Israel aid package it would give Russian President Vladimir Putin “the greatest Christmas gift.”

The president also announced an additional $200 million in drawdown funds for Ukraine. Zelensky is meeting with Biden after he met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for more aid as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

This is Zelensky’s third trip to Washington since the war began, he visited in September and met at that time with Biden in the Oval Office as well. Biden told Zelensky “it’s great to be at your side once again, we’re going to stay on your side.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the White House on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at the White House to meet President Joe Biden to push for more funding to Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion.

Earlier today, he met US lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Soldiers march in Moscow during a Victory Day military parade in May.

Russia has lost a staggering 87 percent of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks, a source familiar with a declassified US intelligence assessment provided to Congress told CNN.

Still, despite heavy losses of men and equipment, Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to push forward as the war approaches its two-year anniversary early next year, and US officials are warning that Ukraine remains deeply vulnerable. A highly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive stagnated through the fall, and US officials believe that Kyiv is unlikely to make any major gains over the coming months.

The assessment, sent to Capitol Hill on Monday, comes as some Republicans have balked at the US providing additional funding for Ukraine and the Biden administration has launched a full-court press to try to get supplemental funding through Congress.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington on Tuesday, meeting with US lawmakers and President Joe Biden in desperate bid to secure the military and economic aid he says is vital to Ukraine’s ability to maintain the fight against Russia.

Russia has been able to keep its war effort going despite the heavy losses by relaxing recruitment standards and dipping into Soviet-era stockpiles of older equipment. Still, the assessment found that the war has “sharply set back 15 years of Russian effort to modernize its ground force.”

Of the 360,000 troops that entered Ukraine, including contract and conscript personnel, Russia has lost 315,000 on the battlefield, according to the assessment. 2,200 of 3,500 tanks have been lost, according to the assessment. 4,400 of 13,600 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers have also been destroyed, a 32 percent loss rate.

CNN has reached out to the Russian Embassy in Washington for comment.

Read more about the assessment.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the press after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had a “good” meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday — but remained firm in his stance that the US needs to address the border first before advancing on an aid bill.

“From the very beginning, when I was handed the gavel, we needed clarity on what we’re doing in Ukraine and how we’ll have proper oversight of the spending of precious taxpayer dollars, and we needed a transformative change at the border. Thus far we’ve gotten neither,” Johnson said, calling the border an “absolute catastrophe.”

Johnson insisted the White House has not been able to articulate a clear strategy that helps Ukraine win, and slammed the Senate for being “MIA.”

“The House passed HR 2 six months ago, more than six months ago. It’s been sitting and collecting dust on Chuck Schumer’s desk,” he added. “It is not the House’s issue right now. The issue is with the White House and the Senate, and I implore them to do their job because the time is urgent.”

He did not take any questions from reporters following the roughly 30-minute meeting with Zelensky, which was their first one-on-one meeting. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks on Tuesday.

In his own floor remarks following a nearly 90-minute meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in the need for urgent funding for Ukraine, but still insisted that it be part of a larger package that includes border security policy changes. McConnell said he’s “going to work to get it done as long as it takes.” 

“I’ve been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s fight to take back its land, liberate its people and restore its support, restore its sovereignty since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, way back in 2014,” he said. “Our Ukrainian friends’ cause is just, and if the West continues to stand with them, they can win.”

But McConnell stood firm that without changes in border policy as part of a supplemental package, the financial support will not come. 

“My support for Ukraine and Israel is rock solid. I’m committed to preparing the US military to deter and defend against Chinese aggression. I’m determined to get the national security crisis at the southern border under control, and I’m going to work to get it done as long as it takes,” he said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, center, walk to a meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Senators emerging from the briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he did not offer suggestions or push back against calls for border security in the United States, carefully avoiding wading into what has become a major domestic policy sticking point in the US. Instead, Zelensky focused on laying out why US aid was so essential for Ukraine.

Here’s what Republican senators are saying:

Sen. Lindsey Graham: Graham said he made it clear to Zelensky that the holdup on Ukraine aid had nothing to do with Zelensky not underscoring the importance of the aid, but instead with the thorny border issue. 

“I told President Zelensky my number one obligation is to secure my country as well as help yours, and I feel like my country’s border policies are an immediate threat to the safety of the American people,” he told reporters. “I said, ‘You’ve done anything that anybody could ask of you. This is not your problem here.’”

Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting with US Senators at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Sen. Mike Rounds: Rounds said Zelensky “stayed totally away from” the immigration debate, “as he should have.”

“He was there to explain their need, what their plans were, what their objectives were and assure … us there would be no acceptance of corruption in the deployment of any of the U.S. resources made available,” Rounds said, adding Zelensky went into details on the challenges in reclaiming the southern area of Ukraine from Russia and that his country was “very, very short of the needed air defense systems.”

Sen. Markwayne Mullin said Zelensky kept the discussion at “a high level,” adding that the Ukrainian president “was very respectful.” Mullin said he supports aid to Ukraine but wants it tied to tougher border policies.

Sen. Ron Johnson said Zelensky warned that his country would not give up fighting if support eroded and argued the fight would devolve into guerrilla warfare. 

Meanwhile in the House chamber, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a Republican from Massachusetts, said on CNN Max he believes it is Trump who sapped GOP support for Ukraine aid.

“The real problem Republicans have is that Donald Trump is a Putin sympathizer and he has unfortunately galvanized the MAGA base against Ukraine. So when Republicans talk about auditing and inspection and fiduciary responsibility, when they talk about nothing for Ukraine without the southern border, what they’re really saying is we don’t want Donald Trump to tweet something mean about it,” he told CNN’s Jim Sciutto.

CNN’s Jim Sciutto contributed reporting to this post.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson leaves a meeting with Republican House members in the Capitol on Monday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters “not at all” when asked if there had been any changes to his approach on aid to Ukraine, ahead of his first one-on-one meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Johnson has said that any future aid to Ukraine should also include border security and should be voted on separately from aid to Israel, which has led to an impasse with the Democrat-controlled Senate.

President Joe Biden’s administration slapped sanctions on more than 250 people and companies for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on more than 150 targets connected to Russia’s military industrial base. At the same time, the US State Department went after more than 100 targets accused of sanctions evasion “and bolstering Russia’s future energy production and export capacity,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The new rounds of sanctions target companies and people based in third countries, including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and China.

They were announced following a virtual meeting of the G7 leaders last week, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington, DC, to push Congress to pass additional funding to support Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is escorted by Sen. Mitch McConnell, left, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, right, inside the Capitol on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky worked to dissuade senators that corruption remains a significant problem in his country and is a reason for them not to provide US funds to Ukraine, according to two senators who attended the meeting.

“I think the notion of corruption came up because some have said we can’t do it, because people will buy yachts with the money. He disabused people of those notions with the reforms that he’s made out the (International Monetary Fund) and (European Union). There have been substantial reforms,” North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said.

Zelensky tried to assure senators that no money would be used corruptly in Ukraine, according to South Dakota GOP Sen. Mike Rounds, adding that the Ukrainian president did not give a price tag on how much US support will be needed in total for Ukraine. But he tried to impress upon senators that Ukraine needed more air defense systems quickly to shut off a land bridge into Crimea.

Tillis also said Zelensky was warmly received and spent his time trying to persuade senators to provide more funding and did not press them about the political standoff in Washington, DC, about whether to add border policy changes to the funding bill for Ukraine. 

Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks to the press after an all-senators meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday was “very powerful.”

Zelensky “outlined in great detail” what Ukraine needs and how the United States can assist the country in defending itself against Russia, Schumer said.

Zelensky also said Ukraine needs the aid quickly, according to the Democratic senator from New York.

Before Schumer made extended remarks, Schumer, McConnell and Zelensky walked by reporters, and Schumer said it was a “very good and productive meeting,” but the trio kept walking and did not say anything else. Schumer then returned to speak with reporters.

He said Democrats were willing to “meet in the middle” with Republicans on border security reform, but that the House-passed border bill was not an option.

“It is not a time for one side to demand maximalist fringe policies that they know are unrealistic and then say ‘our way or the highway.’ If Republican colleagues want in agreement on the border, they must meet us at the middle. They need to show us they are serious. So far, when they just asked for HR2 two or something like it, they’re not showing seriousness,” he said.

Schumer said he spoke on the phone with House Speaker Mike Johnson Monday night, urging him to keep the House in town while negotiators work on a comprehensive package, even though any kind of deal does not seem imminent.  

“Unfortunately, it may seem the case that these are both excuses and they really want to kill funding for Ukraine and never had any intention of passing it,” Schumer said. 

Oleksandra Ustinova speaks with CNN.

A Ukrainian member of parliament says she is concerned that the world does not understand that a lack of ammunition and aid is leading to a precarious situation for Ukraine.

“I think there is a perception around the world that no matter how much you help or don’t help, Ukraine, Ukrainians are going to win,” Oleksandra Ustinova, also the chair of a temporary special commission set up to handle the flow of military aid into the country, told CNN.

But while Ukraine has managed to survive beyond initial global expectations, Ustinova says the aid deliveries have dwindled and fundamentally changed the landscape for Ukraine.

Ustinova added that air defense is a critical concern amid signs Russia is already stepping up aerial attacks. Over the past five days, Ukraine has managed to intercept two major missile barrages, both targeting the capital Kyiv, ending what the head of that city’s military administration described as a 79-day pause.  

“The number one priority for Ukraine is the air defense munition, the air defense systems, because so far we have only Kyiv covered — and not totally covered, all the other cities are totally empty,” she said, adding that air defense munitions have also been in short supply since before the winter.

“Kyiv can be turned into the second Mariupol and totally erased. …We’re waiting for a massive attack of hundreds of drones then following the hundreds of missiles, and if there is nothing to put them down with, that’s it. We’re done,” she added.