Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy on Tuesday urged US lawmakers to continue their “unwavering” support for Kiev even as Republicans gain majority control in the House of Representatives.
As Americans head to the polls on Tuesday for mid-term elections, officials around the world are watching to see if and how the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans will change.
Kiev relied heavily on U.S. support during the eight-month war following the invasion of Russia in February, but concern has grown in the war-torn nation that Washington’s support may weaken if Republicans gain control in Congress. .
On October 25, 2022, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his official residence in Kiev, Ukraine.
(Jesco Denzel / Bundesregierung via Getty Images)
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Polls have suggested that the GOP may be able to regain control of the majority in the lower house while the Senate bids remain hotly contested.
Zelenskyy largely refrained from commenting on the US political scene as Americans prepare for several mid-term contests, but on Tuesday he urged Congress to continue supporting the party, regardless of which party is making money.
“When this war started, Ukraine heard something very important from the world: we felt that ‘the democracies are here.’ And now let’s see what democracies are capable of when they act in unity “, she said in a speech after receiving the Medal of Freedom from Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., And Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
“I invite you to keep the unity unshakable, as it is now, until that very day when we hear all those important words that we have dreamed of,” he continued. “Until we know that peace has finally been restored.
“Democracies must not stop on their way to victory,” he urged.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks via a video link to the opening session of the Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform, organized by Ukraine and Croatia, in Zagreb on 25 October 2022.
(Damir Sencar / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)
The United States has been the world’s largest supplier of arms, aid and financial support to Ukraine, providing $ 18.2 billion in security assistance since January 2021, including about $ 17.6 billion since the February invasion.
Although support for Ukraine was largely a bipartisan issue in the Senate, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, questioned the issue last month when he said Republicans would not write a ” blank check “if they regained the lower level Chamber.
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Polls released last month by Reuters showed that 75% of Americans still support aid to Ukraine against Russian President Vladimir Putin, but McCarthy and other hardline lawmakers have said this support will not hold up against the increase. of inflation.
“I think people are going to stay in a recession and not write Ukraine a blank check,” McCarthy told reporters in October.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Expressed similar sentiments and promised Friday that “under the Republicans, not another penny will go to Ukraine” if the GOP wins the House.
“Our country comes first,” he added.
Ukrainian forces are seen in Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the city on September 16, 2022.
(Metin Aktas Agency / Anadolu via Getty Images)
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The Biden administration worked to ease concerns about US support, and on Tuesday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield met with Zelenskyy and members of his leadership team “to discuss the states’ unwavering commitment. United for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “
“He reiterated that the United States is steadfast in its support for Ukraine and is ready to stay with Ukraine for as long as necessary,” said US Mission to the United Nations spokesman Nate Evans. “It pledged to continue working at the United Nations to strengthen international support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and to urge member states to uphold international law and the UN Charter.”
