Summary
It’s summary time, before we close this blog about Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s day in Washington DC.
What did we learn from the Ukrainian president’s press conference with Joe Biden? Not too much.
Zelenskiy and Biden reiterated their belief that the US should pass a significant supplemental aid package for Ukraine in its war with Russia, but acknowledged that Republicans on Capitol Hill are holding that process up as they seek concessions from Biden and Democrats on immigration policy and particularly the southern border.
That, of course, was the position coming into the press conference, after Zelenskiy went to the Hill and met senators and the House speaker, Mike Johnson.
Biden has ordered $200m in aid from the Pentagon via a “drawdown”, a process to provide ammunition, missiles and more swiftly to allies in need.
Neither leader was drawn into making dire predictions about what a second term for Donald Trump might mean for Ukraine.
Biden, of course, had no good news for Zelenskiy on membership of Nato.
But the US president did get off a zinger, of a sort, when he highlighted praise for Republicans by a Russian TV host and said: “If you’re being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you’re doing. History … will judge harshly.”
“If you're being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you're doing.”
— The Recount (@therecount) December 12, 2023
— President Biden slams Republicans for holding up Ukraine aid, which he says Russia is bragging about pic.twitter.com/Tn27gEQ4Hx
And with that, goodnight.
Updated
A Ukrainian reporter asks about Nato: what does Zelenskiy expect from the Washington summit next year and does he hope for membership and does Biden support such membership?
Zelenskiy: “I will answer very quickly on this very complicated question. We are allies but we are not members of Nato. So I will pass this very complicated question to our big friend, President Biden.”
Laughter.
Biden: “Nato will be in Ukraine’s future, no question … but conditions have to be met and right now we want to be sure they win the war.”
Biden then says, “Thank you all very much”, which begins the shouting of extra questions as the two leaders take their leave from the room.
Updated
