Zelenskyy makes his case to Congress for more U.S. aid in Ukraine’s fight against Russia

Geoff Bennett:

A harsh winter has descended on Ukraine, as the war nears its third year. And Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is here in Washington, urging Congress to unfreeze badly needed military aid.

Amna Nawaz:

That debate over aid comes as a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment details staggering losses for Russia, nearly 90 percent of its pre-war force either killed or wounded in Ukraine.

Lisa Desjardins is on Capitol Hill and begins our coverage.

Lisa Desjardins:

A president at war flanked by Democratic and Republican leaders.

Question:

What does it mean if you don't get aid by the end of the year?

Lisa Desjardins:

For Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,this third trip to Washington after the Russian invasion has been the most complicated, as Congress has slowed down talks over whether to send him help.

He met with nearly all U.S. senators in the morning.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY):

It was a very powerful meeting. President Zelenskyy made it so clear how he needs help, but, if he gets the help, he can win this war.

Lisa Desjardins:

Though a different message from House Republicans. Speaker Mike Johnson, but not his full conference, met with Zelenskyy.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA):

What the Biden administration seems to be asking for is billions of additional dollars with no appropriate oversight, no clear strategy to win, and none of the answers that I think the American people are owed.

Lisa Desjardins:

Zelenskyy's trip come as Congress is divided over President Biden's request for an additional $110 billion. That would include some $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, about $14 billion each for Israel and border security, and more than $9 billion for humanitarian aid.

Senators told us Zelenskyy was powerful and impressive, but, for Senate Republicans, that's not the issue.

Migrant crossings into the U.S. continue to set new records, hitting more than 10,000 apprehensions per day by Border Patrol in the past few weeks. Republicans say, until there are significant policy changes, like dramatically curbing asylum and parole, they will not approve money for Ukraine.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND):

An investment of U.S. dollars into Ukraine's defense is a good investment, but it doesn't change the context, it doesn't change the criteria for me, and that is, we have to defend ourselves first. And we can demonstrate that by securing the Southern border.

Lisa Desjardins:

All this comes as Ukraine's monthslong counteroffensive that began in June is frozen in place as winter descends.

And a new U.S. assessment says Russia believes a military deadlock through the winter would drain Western support for Ukraine and advantage Moscow. Democrats on Capitol Hill are the Ukraine hawks and warning that time is running out, with Congress scheduled to recess for the holidays later this week.

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA):

We stand ready and willing to engage on these topics and to provide assistance. But we also understand the timeline ahead of us. The calendar is a concern.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: And I'm willing to do significantly more.

Lisa Desjardins:

President Biden has signaled he's willing to tighten border laws, but Democrats and Republicans are far apart on a possible deal.

Now Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell is openly saying Biden must personally get involved.

Joe Biden:

Welcome back.

Lisa Desjardins:

Which made his meeting with Zelenskyy this afternoon a potential pivot point.

Joe Biden:

We want to see Ukraine win the war. And as I have said before, winning means Ukraine is a sovereign, independent nation, and that can afford to defend itself today and deter further aggression.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President:

Putin wants — wants a prolonged war. We dream of a Christmas in the peacetime, of course, and we are working to turn our battlefield success into peace.

Lisa Desjardins:

Ukraine and those near it are waiting to see what the White House and Congress do next.

Amna Nawaz:

And Lisa joins us now from Capitol Hill, Laura Barron-Lopez is here with me in studio, and Nick Schifrin is at the White House.

Nick, you were at that press conference there at the White House. As Lisa just reported, President Zelenskyy made a passionate, powerful case for continued support. What's the context we need to understand here for that message he's delivering?

Nick Schifrin:

Amna, it's a bit of a Hail Mary, because, as Lisa reported, without significant border concessions, Congress is not going to pass the tens of billions of dollars that Ukraine needs. At least they won't pass it right now.

And Ukraine is also concerned that Hungary is on the verge this week of blocking tens of billions of dollars of European aid. And for Ukraine, Ukraine says that both of those packages are the difference between victory and defeat.

And what does that mean? Ukraine thinks that, without that money, it will run out of air defense that prevents Russian jets from flying all over the country. It's concerned that it won't ever get enough long-range missiles to threaten Russian-occupied Crimea, which Zelenskyy said today was one of the ways Ukraine could win the war.

And Ukraine is concerned that it won't be able to pay its bills. Its government needs $4 billion a month just to pay its bills. Samantha Power, USAID director, today said that, without ongoing economic assistance, Putin can win the war without Russian forces firing another shot.

That said, Amna, it's important to note that the Pentagon says it's has $900 million worth of funds that it could use to replenish for weapons that it can still send to Ukraine today, even if Congress doesn't pass that aid.

Amna Nawaz:

Laura, you know a number of foreign leaders come to visit Washington. President Biden doesn't always host a joint press conference like the one today. What does this moment, this war and also the threat of no more aid for Ukraine mean for President Biden?

Laura Barron-Lopez:

It's a big deal for the president, Amna.

I mean, the president, as well as the White House, has made clear time and time again that if additional funding is not passed by Congress, then the money that they currently have allocated for Ukraine, it runs out at the end of the year. And aides inside the White House are definitely frustrated. That's what I have been hearing from them.

They essentially are saying that the president's key foreign policy mission of keeping NATO unified in the face of Russian aggression is at stake here. And, also, the president has promised that he is someone who can maintain U.S. leadership on the world stage, he can combat autocracies and authoritarianism. And if this doesn't happen, if this doesn't pass, then it's much more difficult to keep allies united on that front.

Another big thing, Amna, is that President Biden is trying to make this argument alongside the Ukrainian president, this pressure campaign on Congress. And the two big messages from him are, Putin won't stop there, won't stop here. We heard him say that tonight. He won't stop at Ukraine, as well as helping an ally without having to commit U.S. troops, helping an ally degrade the military of one of the biggest adversaries that is Russia should be a key national security priority for the United States.

And you heard him say that he would hope that Republicans would not listen — would not align themselves with Russia and the propaganda that is coming out of Russia.

Amna Nawaz:

So, Lisa, take us inside Capitol Hill now.

Republicans were there. They personally heard those pleas from President Zelenskyy. Are their demands on border policy still the same?

Lisa Desjardins:

People should understand all of the big negotiations we have on the Hill — think about the Affordable Care Act. Think about the debt ceiling. That's what's happening right now on Capitol Hill.

Republicans, no, they are not changing their position. They point to the border. They say all of those apprehensions, those border numbers, those encounters, they feel like they are in the right here. They also feel like they have the momentum because President Biden has said that he is willing to make concessions.

So then you bring all of that down and you look at what exactly Republicans are asking, though. That's where we have got some issues with Democrats. Let's look at three things that they're asking, for example.

First, on asylum, Republicans would like to block, in fact, most — many, at least, asylum seekers from entering this country, especially those from South and Central America. They would like to make expedited removal a national program, meaning that some immigration officers could challenge almost anyone in this country.

And if they weren't documented, felt like they were undocumented, they could expedite removal. And then also they would like to limit different types of parole, including humanitarian parole. Now, some of those programs, Democrats think could be adjusted, but they are worried that what Republicans are proposing here could lead to a national dragnet that could sweep up people who have legitimate claims and even have legal status in this country.

So that's where those talks are right now.

Amna Nawaz:

So, Lisa, where do negotiations go from here? What happens next?

Lisa Desjardins:

All of this, the Ukraine aid, Israel aid, and the border talks, are really just hanging on the edge of a knife right now, Amna.

But, tonight, there is a very slight reason for hope. I just came from a meeting with DHS Secretary Mayorkas behind closed doors with three senators, a Republican, Jim Lankford of Oklahoma, and then independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Democrat, as well as staffers, the White House getting involved.

Kyrsten Sinema walked out of that meeting and told me that they did make substantive progress. We all have heard that before, but there is hope that they can do this. They are running out of time. No one can get to an airplane more quickly than a member of Congress before a holiday recess.

Senator Schumer has asked leaders to stay in town. But, right now, I have got to tell you, the entire House of Representatives is getting to leave on Thursday. This next day will be critical to see if a deal can be made or not.

Amna Nawaz:

Laura, what about other Democrats? What kind of pressure are they putting on the White House right now as the White House gets more involved in these talks? And where do the American people stand on this issue of more aid for Ukraine?

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Democrats are putting a lot of pressure on the White House right now.

They're very concerned. Based on what Lisa just outlined, those severe restrictions to asylum, to the parole systems that Republicans are proposing, that the White House may concede on that. They're hearing that the White House is open to things like that. And they don't want that to happen. So they're going to be applying a lot of pressure on the president.

Democrats are going to incoming days be talking a lot more about this, holding press conferences. But as for where voters stand Amna, we have a new "NewsHour"/NPR/Marist poll that will be released tomorrow. And we ask voters if they believe the U.S. should authorize additional funding to support both Ukraine and Israel. A total of 32 percent said yes. That's 41 percent Democrats; 26 percent of Republicans are saying more support and 32 percent of independents.

And then for those that believe that the U.S. should not authorize additional funding for either war, a total of 36 percent, 24 percent of Democrats, 39 percent of Republicans, and 38 percent of independents.

So, in total, our poll found that 48 percent of Americans support giving additional aid to Ukraine. But you see that there's not a lot of support there among Republicans in particular. One thing that is kind of key context there, Amna, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said himself that support among Republicans has gone down because of the rhetoric from former President Donald Trump.

Amna Nawaz:

Nick, when you look at where the war is right now, a war you spent so much time covering on the ground as well, the head of the Ukrainian military is now calling the war a stalemate.

What does that mean for U.S. policy?

Nick Schifrin:

Well, publicly, Amna, the administration says that there's no plan B, and President Biden reiterated his definition of victory today.

But senior U.S. officials are beginning to say that, if, if U.S. support continues, what they want to see in 2024 is Ukraine holding the line, even if, as you say, that that means a stalemate on the front, and that, by the end of 2024, U.S., European, Ukrainian domestic arms production could come online to the point where, believe it or not, Ukraine could go back on the counteroffensive in 2025.

But that assumes, of course, Biden wins reelection. It also assumes, Amna, that in 2025 Ukraine can do more with those new weapons that it hasn't already done with $110 billion of aid, and neither Ukrainian nor U.S. officials have explained that yet.

Amna Nawaz:

Nick Schifrin at the White House, Lisa Desjardins on Capitol Hill, Laura Barron-Lopez here with me in studio, thank you to you all.