Biden announces $325 mln military aid package to Ukraine but McCarthy still won’t commit to new aids

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the White House on Thursday (September 21) to meet U.S. President Joe Biden to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine. It’s Zelensky’s second visit to the U.S. since February 2022 and came as Biden’s request to Congress for an additional $24 billion for Ukraine’s military and humanitarian needs is hanging in the balance. Resistance to the latest request could lead to delays or reductions. Zelensky returned to dramatically different circumstances. He received a hero’s welcome at the White House and on Capitol Hill that day in December, evoking comparisons to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s wartime visit to Washington in 1941. But this time, he faces a tougher crowd, as a growing number of Republicans are vowing to reject additional aid for Ukraine. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who faces opposition to the Ukrainian funding package from the Republicans aligned with Trump, notably chose not to join in greeting Zelenskyy when he arrived. And Republican McCarthy also confirmed that he declined Zelenskyy’s request for a joint session of Congress. But the Biden government still insisting on its “crucial“ support for Ukraine, called on world leaders to stand strong with Ukraine and set to announce a new $325 million military aid package for the country. The package includes air defense systems and other weaponry to help Kyiv ahead of a tough winter, as well as the second tranche of cluster munitions fired by a 155 millimeter Howitzer cannon.  While Democrats have lined up behind Biden’s proposed aid package, Republican hard-liners want to see the flow of assistance cut off entirely, and McCarthy has declined to publicly support more Ukraine funding.  Editor: Zou __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!