Biden promises Zelensky he won’t walk away from Ukraine

President Joe Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine as he stood beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite funding for the embattled country’s defense remaining stalled on Capitol Hill.

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine. We must prove him wrong,” Biden told reporters Tuesday during a press conference at the White House. “Mr. President, I’ll not walk away from Ukraine and neither will the American people.”

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Biden indicated his willingness to compromise with congressional Republicans regarding immigration policy and border security resources, but was adamant the solution needs to be “real.” Simultaneously, he warned the U.S. was “coming to the end” of its already appropriated money for Ukraine, with lawmakers leaving for the holidays at the end of the week.

“If you’re being celebrated by Russian propaganda, it might be time to rethink what you’re doing,” he said. “History will judge harshly those who turned their back on freedom’s cause.”

Before his Oval Office meeting with Biden, in which Biden announced another $200 million in military aid through the Department of Defense for Ukraine, Zelensky contended Ukraine was becoming increasingly economically independent, an attempt to counter Republican criticism the U.S. will continue having to shoulder the financial burden of the war. Biden, in turn, added he did not want Zelensky to give up hope.

“Congress needs to pass a supplemental funding to Ukraine before they break [for] the holiday recess, before they give Putin the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him,” Biden said.

Earlier Tuesday, Zelensky appeared on Capitol Hill to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and appeal to a bipartisan group of senators for the speedy approval of more funding as Congress negotiates an additional $61 billion aid package for Ukraine after already spending $75 billion on the war effort and recovery.

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“Ukrainians haven’t given up and won’t give up,” Zelensky told U.S. military officers at the National Defense University. “We know what to do and you can count on Ukraine, and we hope just as much to be able to count on you.”

“Ukraine is the first front,” he said. “But we’ve got to make sure, and we can make sure, it doesn’t come to having a second or third front against freedom somewhere in the Baltic countries, or another part of the world.”