Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
France 24
France 24
World
FRANCE 24

đź”´ Live: Zelensky, Biden give joint press conference as US aid for Ukraine hangs in the balance

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on December 12, 2023. © Evan Vucci, AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded Tuesday in Washington for continued US military aid but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson poured cold water on the desperate bid for help. Watch Zelensky's press conference with US President Joe Biden at the White House live from 10pm Paris time (GMT+1).

Biden, 81, invited Zelensky to Washington days after the White House warned that money for Ukraine will run out by the end of the year without a deal with Congress.

But as Moscow claimed fresh battlefield advances and predicted any fresh assistance for Kyiv would be a "fiasco", Zelensky's attempt to keep Ukraine's main backer onside crashed into the realities of a bitter US domestic political divide. 

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, the gatekeeper for any deal, insisted after meeting Zelensky that his party would not approve Biden's request for $60 billion in fresh assistance for Kyiv unless Democrats meet their demands on immigration. 

Click on the player above to watch the White House news conference.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.