Ukraine's bid for more US funding faces opposition

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington this week to secure billions of dollars more of funding is running into opposition in the Congress of the United States.

Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said the emergency funding wouldn't gain GOP support unless it includes "real, meaningful border reform".

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who met with Zelensky on Tuesday, told reporters afterward: "I have asked the White House since the day that I was handed the gavel as speaker for clarity. We need clear articulation of the strategy to allow Ukraine to win. Thus far, their responses have been insufficient."

What the administration of US President Joe Biden "appears to be requesting is billions of additional dollars without proper oversight, lacking a clear winning strategy and devoid of the answers that I believe the American people deserve", Johnson said.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, called the US southern border "an absolute catastrophe", citing a one-day crossing of 12,000 migrants on Dec 6 and the apprehension of almost 280 "known terrorists".

He said nearly 7 million people have been encountered at the border since Biden took office in January 2021, with "at least 2 million got-aways".

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday it would be "practically impossible" for Congress to pass a supplemental funding package, including aid for Ukraine, in its nearly two-year military conflict with Russia before Christmas.

Biden has been calling for a $110.5-billion US aid package for Ukraine, Israel and for other needs.

At a joint news conference with Zelensky, Biden said: "Without supplemental funding, we're rapidly coming to an end of our ability to help Ukraine respond in the urgent operational demands that it has."

Biden has also expressed a willingness to engage with Republicans as migrant crossings have hit record highs along the US-Mexico border, but Democrats in his own party oppose proposals for expedited deportations and strict asylum standards.

One chief Republican negotiator, Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, said there was nothing Zelensky could say during his meeting with the senators to sway the outcome.

"Hey, pay attention to us, but not your own country? No," Lankford told reporters.

All 49 Senate Republicans blocked a measure last week to provide more aid for Ukraine if it did not include restrictions on immigrations.

Moscow keeping watch

At a news conference on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was watching Zelensky's visit "very attentively".

"It is important for everyone to understand: The tens of billions of dollars pumped into Ukraine did not help it gain success on the battlefield," he said.

Thirty-seven percent of US citizens believe their country is doing too much to support Ukraine, according to a recent poll by The Wall Street Journal, compared with 30 percent in October 2022.

Zelensky arrived in Norway on Wednesday for a previously unannounced visit for more Western support while leaders from Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland are scheduled to meet in Oslo for a planned Nordic summit.

Agencies contributed to this story.