The House was united, McCarthy said last March, “to help Ukraine get the weaponry they need to defend themselves.” The Ukrainian leader spoke again to all US lawmakers in person in December. Read more from CNN’s Rob Picheta about that surprise development, which is born of a looming election in Poland and a standoff with the European Union over Ukraine’s grain supply.īack in the US, for the clearest example of how the ground has shifted, watch the video below: a side-by-side comparison of comments from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was the Republican minority leader in March 2022 when Zelensky addressed a joint session of Congress virtually. Poland also announced this week it would no longer arm its neighbor Ukraine.
Days after President Joe Biden declared unyielding support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, the domestic US political fight is threatening aid funding – and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky encountered less-than-open arms from Republican leaders on Capitol Hill.