Zelensky in the US: I received positive signals, but we must separate words from deeds

(Patria) - President Joe Biden told President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday that the United States will not abandon Ukraine in its fight against Russia, even as Republicans signaled opposition to expanding U.S. war funding, AFP reports.

Standing alongside the Ukrainian leader at a White House press conference, Biden pledged:

"I will not abandon Ukraine, nor will the American people."

He said allowing Ukraine to fall would mean Russian President Vladimir Putin and "potential aggressors everywhere would be emboldened."

Zelensky, who spent the morning meeting with Republicans and Democrats in Congress,
hinted at cautious optimism that the stalled flow of U.S. aid would resume.

"I received signals. They were more than positive. But we know that we must separate words from concrete results. Therefore, we will count on concrete results," he said.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed little enthusiasm for Biden's request for $60 billion in new aid.

"What the Biden administration appears to be asking for is billions of additional dollars without adequate oversight, without a clear strategy for victory, and without answers that I think the American people are owed," Johnson told reporters after meeting with Zelensky.

Republican Senator JD Vance, who is close to party leader and likely 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump, said on social media that Zelensky was "disgusting" for pressuring the Senate.