Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive on Capitol Hill to a darker mood than when he swooped in last winter for a hero’s welcome, as the Russian invasion is grinding into a third year and U.S. funding hangs in balance.

Zelenskyy’s visit Tuesday comes as President Joe Biden’s request for an additional $110 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs is at serious risk of collapse in Congress. Republicans are insisting on strict U.S.-Mexico border security changes that Democrats decry as draconian in exchange for the overseas aid.

“It is maddening,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a close ally of Biden, of the stalemate. “A very bad message to the world, to the Ukrainian people.”

  • Candelestine@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Tougher times for sure, but a particularly good leader can rally a mood just themselves, with words, nothing more.

    He’s been compared to some truly titanic wartime leaders. But it’s time to see what you’ve really got Zelensky.

    For the record, I’ll be perfectly content if he just doesn’t make anything worse. Historical superheroics isn’t genuinely necessary, just a proud, hardworking man doing what he must for his country. That would probably go over fine here in America. People remember he’s just some dude, a comedian no less, we would understand that.

    But if he’s got it in him, he could give some sort of Gettysburg Address type thing. Short, sweet, and hard-hitting.

    edit because copy/pasting the whole thing was probably a little ostentatious.