U.S House Speaker, Mike Johnson has reaffirmed his hardline stance on the border issues that are holding up an agreement on U.S aid for Ukraine.
“The border is an absolute catastrophe,” he said and made clear that issue would be the priority for House Republicans.
“These are the conditions of the American people. We are resolute on that,” he added.
House Republicans say that agreement on aid for Ukraine have to be linked with U.S border security policy.
It is bad news for Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy who had just met the U.S Speaker and would have hoped to have seen a softening of his stance.
Johnson said that he reiterated to Zelenskyy that America people stood with him against Vladimir Putin but he was unconvinced by White House assurances that Ukraine could win.
He reiterated that his issue was with the White House and the Senate rather than Ukraine.
After his meeting with the Speaker, Zelenskyy is scheduled to also meet the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and then President Joe Biden.
Prior to meeting Johnson, Zelenskyy met U.S Senators.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, disclosed that the Ukrainian President told senators that “if he gets the help, he can win this war.”
Schumer was quoted as saying, “He also made clear … that if we lose, Putin wins. This will be very dangerous for the United States.”
It was reported that Republican Senators left the meeting with Zelenskyy unmoved from their position that aid to Ukraine had to be paired with border security policy.
Senator Markwayne Mullin said that the emergency funding would not gain Republican support unless it included “real, meaningful border reform.”
Biden has expressed a willingness to engage with Republicans as migrant crossings have hit record highs along the US-Mexico border.
However, Democrats in his own party oppose proposals for expedited deportations and strict asylum standards as a return to Trump-era hostility towards migrants.
In talks with a news agency, Oleksiy Danilov, who coordinates Ukraine’s war cabinet, said, “If it happens so that we receive a gift before Christmas, we will be happy with that. But if it will happen a bit later, then it shouldn’t be made into a tragedy.”
“Will Putin destroy us before humanity’s eyes? Will he be killing our children, our women, our elderly men? And will the whole world watch with their eyes closed? Then the question should be, in what world do we live?”
Oleksiy Danilov
US Imposes Sweeping Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Its War In Ukraine
In other developments, the U.S imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China and Turkey, as it targets Russia’s sanctions evasion.
The treasury and state departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities.
“We will continue to use the tools at our disposal to promote accountability for Russia’s crimes in Ukraine and those who finance and support Russia’s war machine,” the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said.
The treasury said that it imposed sanctions on a network of four entities and nine people based in China, Russia, Hong Kong and Pakistan over the facilitation and procurement of Chinese-manufactured weapons and technologies to Russia.
It stated that the network sought to circumvent US sanctions and Chinese controls on the export of military-related materials.
It also targeted Turkey, UAE and China-based companies over the shipment of technology, equipment and inputs, including aircraft parts and X-ray systems.
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