Speaker Johnson unmoved by meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky
December 12, 2023 01:42 PM
After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reiterated his stance that the House would not send any aid to Ukraine without seeing a border security and immigration package, which is unlikely to happen this year.
As has been the case since he became speaker, Johnson is refusing to pass Ukraine aid without any sort of border security legislation, leading to a standstill between him and the White House, which has requested Congress pass a supplemental that totals more than $100 billion which includes more than $60 billion for Ukraine as they fend off Russia from invading their country.
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After meeting with Zelensky, the speaker told reporters that he told the president that America still stands with Ukraine.
But he told reporters that he had asked the White House for a “clear articulation of the strategy to allow Ukraine to win,” and they have not received that.
“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,” Johnson said.
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In addition, Johnson and other House Republicans have refused to vote for aid to Ukraine until there is “transformative change at the border.”
But, with talks stalled in the Senate, any border security package would likely have to wait until next year, meaning Ukraine will not get more money this year to assist them in their fight against Russia.