Lindsey Graham meets Zelensky in Kiev: Ukrainian leader hosts Republican senator in his bid to add to the $75 billion in aid the US has already sent as funding stagnates in Congress

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the US struggles to send additional military aid to the war-torn country.

Zelensky posted a video Monday of hosting the South Carolina senator, in which the Ukrainian leader said they discussed expanded aid to Ukraine.

“I have briefed Senator Graham on the frontline situation and the priority needs of our military,” Zelensky wrote. “It is critical that our partners continue to provide military and technical assistance, such as air defense systems and missiles.”

The Republican senator’s visit comes as the Biden administration is pressing the House of Representatives to approve $60 billion in additional aid that has already passed in the Senate.

Graham voted against that package, despite his visit to Ukraine.

“Ukraine’s continued support from international partners, especially the United States, is now more important than ever as we implement plans to relieve our territories and protect our people. Democracy and freedom must prevail – now and always,” Zelensky wrote in a message accompanied by a video of his meeting with Graham.

“We will talk about all of the above,” Graham said in the video. “Before we say anything, I admire what you and your people have accomplished over the past two years.”

‘I remember we were told that Kiev would fall in four weeks. You’re still here. Still fighting,” he added.

After the visit, Graham released a statement calling the meeting “very productive” and reiterating that he supports former President Trump’s idea to “convert aid from the United States into a zero-interest, forgivable loan” if the ‘most likely path’. forward.’

Senator Graham’s visit comes after he voted against the latest additional aid package for allies, including $60 billion for Ukraine. The aid passed in the Senate, but was blocked by Republicans in the House of Representatives

Last week, the White House announced that the US was preparing to send another $300 million in military aid packages to Ukraine, despite House Republicans’ failure to take action in Congress. to go.

The additional support will instead be paid for from savings from previously negotiated arms contracts. The package includes anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition artillery rounds, anti-armor systems and more.

But government officials have emphasized that the additional aid does not replace the need for the safety package on the Hill.

The House of Representatives has failed to pass a $95 billion Senate-approved security package that boosts aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indian Ocean.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had opposed putting the bill up for a vote because many in his conservative wing oppose sending more money to Ukraine.

But late last week, Johnson said during the Republican Party’s retreat in the House of Representatives that he expects to hold an independent vote on aid to Israel and Ukraine.

While Johnson acknowledged the urgency of funding, he said the House would not work with foreign aid until the fight over government funding for the 2024 budget year is over. His office did not yet have details on a timeline.

Johnson revealed he expects the House of Representatives to hold a stand-alone vote on aid to Israel and Ukraine, as pressure mounts from the Senate after it passed a foreign aid package last month.

A local resident collects belongings in the ruins of a destroyed house on the outskirts of Makiivka (Makeyevka) in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, as the Pentagon has found a way to send more weapons to the war-torn country

It comes as the White House recently warned that Ukrainian soldiers are running low on ammunition as they battle Russian forces in the war that has been raging for two years since the Russian invasion.

The US believes that without additional US military support, “countless lives” will be lost this year, the Washington Post reported.

The lack of a replenishment could lead to Ukraine’s collapse, a senior US official told the Post.

Graham has been an outspoken supporter of aid to Ukraine and has visited the war-torn country several times.

But when the relief package came up for a vote in the Senate last month, he suddenly changed course and voted against it.

Graham said he spoke to former President Trump about the package and the ex-president opposed it.

In a statement at the time, Graham also said that the US should first tackle the US border and that the aid package should be a loan, as Trump had proposed.

The United States has provided approximately $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of 2022, including more than $46 million in military assistance and other financial and humanitarian assistance.

During the meeting with Graham, Zelensky thanked the United States for two years of support from Congress, but said his country is now in a “very challenging period.”

Graham told Zelensky in the video that Russian President Vladimir Putin will go down in history “as all people like Putin will go down in history, just a matter of time.”