Joe Biden meets Volodymyr Zelenskyy at White House

US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House on Tuesday local time Biden called on the Congress to pass supplemental funding to Ukraine before they take break for holidays ABC News reportedSeated in the Oval Office alongside Zelenskyy Biden said Congress needs to pass supplemental funding to Ukraine before they break for holiday recess before they give Vladimir Putin the greatest Christmas gift they can possibly give himAnd because weve seen what happens when dictators dont pay the price for the damage and the death and the destruction they cause They keep going when no price is paid he added according to ABC News reportThe aid package requested by the White House has stalled on Capitol Hill as Republicans call for changes in border security and immigration policy in exchange for the passage of funding for Ukraine according to ABC News reportZelenskyy also urged Congressional leaders to allow the passage of funding for Ukraine However Republican lawmakers emerged from the closeddoor talks seemingly undeterred by tying the aid to significant border changesBiden also announced a USD 200 million military package under the Presidential Drawdown Authority Zelenskyy thanked the US and other partners for their support and called it a special day for Ukraine with almost 600000 soldiers now fighting in the ongoing war against RussiaZelenskyy said This is their day and they prove every day that Ukraine can win As Zelenskyy arrived in the White House Biden warmly greeted him Biden thanked the US for its unwavering support for Ukraine Notably the US has been offering military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine ever since the war between Kyiv and Moscow startedTaking to X Zelenskyy stated I am glad to be back at the White House and meeting with POTUS Joe Biden I am grateful to the US for its unwavering support for Ukraine including USD 200 million military aid package announced today In the Black Sea we defeated the Russian fleetOur maritime exports have resumed bolstering both our economy which is now growing at 5 per cent and global food security We are moving in the right direction and in our talks with President Biden today we are discussing ways forward We have clear and attainable priorities for 2024 including depriving Russia of its air superiority and thwarting its offensive operations jointly producing arms and using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine Freedom must be wellarmed and welldefended he addedBefore meeting Zelenskyy Biden stated that he looked forward to meeting Zelenskyy Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on Tuesday at a critical moment as the White House has warned that US aid to Ukraine could imminently dry up and talks over new assistance remain stalled in Congress according to CNN reportI look forward to welcoming President Zelenskyy of Ukraine back to the White House today Youve heard me say before that we stand at an inflection point in history and that is still true To stand with Ukraine is to stand with freedom We cant and wont let Putin succeed Biden posted on XEarlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a onetoone meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday which lasted for roughly 30 minutes CNN reportedMike Johnson said he had a good meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy CNN reported However he remained firm in his stance that the US needs to address the border first before advancing on an aid billAfter the meeting Johnson said From the very beginning when I was handed the gavel we needed clarity on what were doing in Ukraine and how well have proper oversight of the spending of precious taxpayer dollars and we needed a transformative change at the border Thus far weve gotten neither and called the border an absolute catastrophe CNN reportedMike Johnson stated that the first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security first He stressed that the White House has not been able to articulate a plan that helps Ukraine secure victory and criticised the US Senate for being MIAHe further said The House passed HR 2 six months ago more than six months ago Its been sitting and collecting dust on Chuck Schumers desk He insisted that the issue is with the White House and Senate and called on them to do their jobThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever