[Politics] Is Zelensky about to lose Washington's mind and heart?

[SnO]

Washington - Last December, Washington received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky like a hero. Major American newspapers and networks competed to conduct interviews with him, and members of Congress crowded to ask to be photographed next to him. President Biden welcomed him warmly at the White House, and congressional leaders gave him the opportunity to deliver a historic speech before a session. Joint for the House of Representatives and the Senate.

 

 

 

 

After he left Washington, the famous Time magazine chose him as Person of the Year, in appreciation of his leadership of his country militarily, politically, and popularly during the war against Russia. The magazine described Zelensky as representing “the spirit of Ukraine” at a time when his country is witnessing a massive military invasion by Russia.

Such an honor is considered an important step that reflects the appreciation of American public opinion for President Zelensky, and the development of its view of him as just a different politician. Due to his background as a television comedian, he reached the status of a leader with international standing.

Less than a year later, the nature of Washington's relationship with the Ukrainian president changed, and enthusiasm for celebrating the president disappeared, whose country's issue became one of the points of contention amid the great state of polarization that American politics is suffering from.

Desperate attempts by Zelensky
Zelensky's visit to Washington came after he delivered a speech before the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in addition to his participation in a special session of the UN Security Council to discuss the Ukrainian crisis.

The visit comes at a crucial moment for Ukraine, as it seeks to rally support and secure additional funding for its counterattack against Russia.

Before his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House, Zelensky visited the memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks in the Pentagon, where he held various meetings with US Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin and his senior aides.

Zelensky's strategy in talking to members of Congress changed. After he adopted a sharp tone last December, the Ukrainian president was forced to change his tone in the hope of obtaining more financial and military support. Zelensky said before a Congressional session during his visit to Washington in December 2022, Your aid “is not charity, but an investment in global security.”

With the change in the situation and the public mood in Washington, Zelensky said the day before yesterday, "We appreciate your assistance, and the situation is difficult. We stopped the Russians in the east, and began a counterattack. Yes, it is not that fast, but we are moving forward every day, and getting rid of the occupation of our land."

Washington and its politicians have become more hesitant in their support for Ukraine, and the position on supporting Ukraine has become a conflict between the two parties, the Republican and the Democratic.

As frustration spreads on both sides of the Atlantic that a long-awaited summer counteroffensive in Ukraine appears to have yielded fewer results than expected, top Republicans such as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have become increasingly skeptical of Kiev's capabilities and capabilities.

Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky met with lawmakers in Congress, where he said he had a "strong dialogue" with senators.

Before Zelensky arrived in the Congress building, Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives, rejected the Ukrainian president’s request to deliver a joint speech before Congress. McCarthy justified his position by saying, “We did not have time. He had already delivered a speech in a joint session,” referring to last December.

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Rising Republican opposition
At a time when President Joe Biden has pledged to provide an additional $24 billion to Ukraine, which brings US support packages to about $113 billion, Republican opposition to providing additional aid to Kiev is mounting.

The new aid package includes ensuring supplies of vital weapons and ammunition, before most analysts expect a stressful confrontation during the winter months.

American politicians are divided over the funds allocated to Ukraine, with many Republicans saying that the money is better spent on domestic issues, and most Democrats oppose this argument, based on US national security interests.

Republicans present three arguments against the Democrats' logic, the first of which is that there is insufficient oversight of aid, that spending money there takes money from the pockets of Americans, and that "the focus on European security distracts us from the Chinese threat."

Biden reiterated that the White House hopes to sign the aid package “whatever it takes.”

The refusal to provide support to Ukraine is no longer a trend that expresses a minority on the fringes of the two parties, as the refusal has become a pressure card that the Speaker of the House of Representatives plays with in budget discussions, as he wants aid to Ukraine to become an independent legislation in its own right instead of linking it to broader government spending plans, which would make it easier to defeat.

Hard-line Republicans in Congress oppose any additional aid to Ukraine, and with the start of the election season, Republicans are repeating phrases: No “blank checks” for Kiev, which takes money from the pockets of hard-working Americans.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is embraced by U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Biden (right) hopes to sign an aid package for Ukraine (Reuters)
Support for Ukraine declines
At the same time, a recent poll conducted by CNN among 1,279 people revealed that most Americans oppose allowing Congress to approve additional funding to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The majority of Americans believe that their country has already done and provided enough to help Ukraine, and 55% of respondents said that Congress should not authorize additional funding to support Ukraine, compared to 45% who supported this funding.

51% of respondents agreed that the United States has done enough to help Ukraine, while 48% say it should do more.

These percentages reflect a significant decline in Americans’ support for Ukraine, as this percentage was during the first days of Russia’s war on Ukraine in late February 2022.

 

https://www.aljazeera.net/politics/2023/9/22/هل-أوشك-زيلينسكي-على-خسارة-عقل-وقلب