Zelenskyy pleads for Ukraine aid at Capitol and White House, says to US: Our fight is yours

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told America his country was fighting for “our freedom and yours” as he made an impassioned plea Tuesday for Congress to approve more assistance to fight Russia’s invasion. “We must, we must, we must prove him wrong.” Earlier, meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, Biden called on Congress “to do the right thing, to stand with Ukraine, and to stand up for freedom.” He added, “Congress needs to pass the supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday recess, before they give Putin the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him.” Zelenskyy made his own case in his private meetings with congressional leaders — that Ukrainian forces have fought fiercely to push back the Russian invasion with the help of American and other Western allies and it’s no time for Ukraine’s friends to step back. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said the emergency funding wouldn’t gain GOP support unless it includes “real, meaningful border reform.” Biden pushed back that “history will judge harshly those who turned their backs on freedom’s cause.” The president quoted a Kremlin-aligned television host celebrating Republicans’ recent blocking of aid as a job “well done.” “If you’re being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you’re doing,” he said. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Zelenskyy might be able to take on the stalemate by showing the stakes of potential Russian expansion toward NATO, and making his case on “moral clarity and why is Ukraine important.” Zelenskyy kicked off the quick visit to Washington on Monday, warning in a speech at a defense university that Russia may be fighting in Ukraine but its “real target is freedom” in America and around the world.