On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the Capitol and plans to meet with Joe Biden at the White House. He has already held talks with US congressmen.
According to CNN, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy refused to hold a joint session of the US House and Senate, where the Ukrainian president could speak.
A similar speech took place in December 2022, and then American parliamentarians greeted Zelensky with a standing ovation.
This time, however, McCarthy said that Congress "does not have time to hold a joint session."
"So I did the same thing I would do with the prime minister of Italy or the prime minister of the United Kingdom," he said.
On Thursday, Zelenskiy held a private meeting with a group of Republican and Democratic members of the House of Representatives, and he will also address members of the Senate.
According to CNN, citing its sources, McCarthy also avoided appearing with Zelenskyy in front of the press and did not allow photographers into the room where he met with the Ukrainian president.
McCarthy said that he spoke with Zelenskyy about the use of American aid and received answers to several questions. The House Speaker described the talks as "good" and "productive."
During the press conference, journalists also asked McCarthy whether he intended to introduce a new $24 billion aid package for Ukraine to the House of Representatives.
But he constantly avoided a direct answer, CNN writes.
"You know, we need to take care of the fiscal issues in America," he said, "I'm more than supportive of considering a package of aid to Ukraine. But I know the president is focused on that, and we just had 10,000 people cross the border, and Biden wants to ignore that. I think we have priorities here."
The White House said that the decision of Congress to allocate a new aid package to Kyiv is "critical" to ensure the success of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, and that the funds "will have a significant impact on Ukraine's military campaign."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for his part, emphasized during the meeting that Ukraine's victory would guarantee that neither Russia nor any other dictatorship would be able to destabilize the free world.
"And in order to win, we must be together. And win together. We are counting on you, on your constant support," Zelensky emphasized.
The Associated Press reminds that Zelenskyy's meeting with the senators will be held in the Old Senate Chamber, a historically important hall of the Capitol, which is considered a sign of respect for the Ukrainian leader.
Background. As reported, the United States and G7 allies expect the war in Ukraine to last for 6-7 years. They take into account the costs of supporting Ukraine when planning their budgets.