‘He will be asking for even more money’: Zelensky was reportedly denied the opportunity to address US Congress supposedly due to lawmakers’ busy schedules

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the U.S. Congress, where he will meet with American lawmakers.

This information is reported by Western media outlets, and footage of the Ukrainian president’s arrival at the Congress building in Washington is being shown.

“More air defense. More sanctions. More support for Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines,” the president outlined the topics of his discussions with lawmakers in his Telegram channel.

Zelensky did not answer journalists’ questions upon his arrival in Congress.

However, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy, stated that he had denied Zelensky the opportunity to address Congress due to lawmakers’ busy schedules.

The New York Times reported that Zelensky is likely to address members of the Senate in a closed format. According to the publication, the leader of the Democratic majority in the upper house of Congress, Chuck Schumer, intends to organize such a meeting.

Furthermore, several lawmakers have already declined to attend the meeting.

“He is coming to ask for even more assistance. If you want more help from us, let the EU provide its fair share,” said Republican Senator Mark Brown.

Additionally, the NYT suggests that McCarthy denied Zelensky the opportunity to speak not because of lawmakers’ lack of time but because of the position of Republicans, many of whom advocate for reducing assistance to Ukraine.

It’s worth noting that in the run-up to Zelensky’s visit to Washington, a group of Republican lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden expressing their intention to oppose the adoption of a new $24 billion aid package to Ukraine.