U.S. lawmakers visit Kyiv as Republican leaders raise questions about future aid.
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A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation traveled to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, a visit that comes after the top Republican in the House of Representatives raised questions about future aid to the country.
Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the top House Republican, said in a recent interview that if his party won a majority in midterm elections next month, its members would be unwilling to “write a blank check” to Ukraine, suggesting that it could be more difficult for President Biden to get congressional approval for large infusions of aid to bolster the country’s defense against Russia.
Mr. Biden, when asked on Thursday if he was worried about aid for Ukraine if Republicans win the majority in the midterms, told reporters, “I am worried about that, because they said they’ll cut it.”
On Friday, Mr. Zelensky said he had welcomed Representative Michael R. Turner of Ohio, a Republican, and Representatives Eric Swalwell of California and Jim Himes of Connecticut, both Democrats, to Kyiv.
“Your visit at this time is a bold step that demonstrates strong bicameral and bipartisan support for Ukraine,” he said in a statement posted on Telegram. “It confirms that the United States is our strategic partner.”
Mr. Zelensky said that the group had discussed the situation on the front line and Ukraine’s military needs and that he had reiterated his call for air defense systems.
In a post on Twitter, Mr. Himes said it was an “honor” to lead the delegation and stressed the “unwavering” U.S. commitment to Ukraine.
Mr. Swalwell echoed those sentiments, saying that Ukraine’s fight for freedom was “every democracy’s fight.”
“We must keep them in the fight,” he wrote on Twitter. “If they fall any of us could be next.”
— Cassandra Vinograd
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