KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday he was more positive now than he was last month that his country will secure new financial aid from the United States.
But there was no indication in Washington that Congressional approval for an aid package proposed by the White House would be forthcoming anytime soon.
“I am viewing this with more positivity than in December, I think we will (get it),” Zelenskiy told a news conference in Kyiv.
Zelenskiy later referred again to the need for Congressional approval to meet the needs of Ukraine’s war against Russia, saying the issue had been discussed with the visiting U.S. representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery, Penny Pritzker.
“We discussed in detail the steps needed for financial stability,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
“We eagerly await the decisions of the Congress regarding further support for Ukraine — support that is not only significant for us, but also for every state whose stability depends on the strength of international law.”
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday that U.S. assistance for Ukraine had stopped, as negotiations continued over an aid package that could be tied to an overhaul of border security measures.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s request for more military aid for Ukraine has been stalled in the Congress for months, as opposition Republicans have refused to consider any legislation unless it is tied to the immigration issue.
There has been no indication that the Senate or House of Representatives will vote on assistance for Kyiv any time soon, despite weeks of talks trying to break the impasse.
Zelenskiy visited Washington last month with the hope of persuading Congress to proceed quickly with approval, but came away with no such commitment.
(Reporting by Max Hunder and Ron Popeski and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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