US Aid to Ukraine Stalled in Congress; Joe Biden Invites Lawmakers to the White House

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden invited senior congressional leaders to the White House to emphasize the security needs of Ukraine; a meeting held at a critical juncture that could initiate the approval of a $110 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other US allies. According to the Associated Press, Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and other Republican lawmakers used the face-to-face meeting to pressure the President for stricter security measures along the southern borders of the country. Johnson told Biden that Republican lawmakers are seeking 'meaningful changes in border policies' and emphasized their belief that the White House's executive actions on immigration have undermined border security. After the meeting, which lasted over an hour, Johnson told reporters, 'We understand there are concerns about the security and sovereignty of Ukraine, but the American people have the same concerns about domestic security and border security.' Following the meeting, Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, responded to reporters by saying that the President has consistently expressed his willingness to find common ground on specific border security measures. The administration hoped that the meeting with senior congressional leaders at the White House would influence the new Speaker's view on the importance of the national security aid package for Ukraine and the current US approach to global affairs. While Republicans present at the White House largely support aid to Ukraine, they indicated to the administration that significant border security measures from Biden's government are needed to persuade a large portion of skeptical Republican lawmakers regarding aid to Ukraine. Previously, Mike Johnson and some Republican members of the House had traveled to the southern US-Mexico border to demonstrate a 'more aggressive approach' to border security and immigration issues. According to The Hill, which covers US congressional news, these Republican lawmakers criticized the slow progress of negotiations in the Senate regarding immigration policy changes and threatened to 'impeach' Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security. Zelensky praised US support for Ukraine during his meeting with Blinken and Sullivan. At Zelensky's request, Switzerland will host the Ukraine peace talks. The 'peace' formula for Ukraine will be discussed at the 'Davos' meeting. The Biden administration once again agreed to an emergency sale of weapons to Israel without congressional approval. Blinken stated that the US will allocate up to $250 million in military aid to Ukraine. The latest US aid package to Ukraine; future aid will only be possible with congressional approval.