乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基周二在华盛顿与总统一起召开新闻发布会，结束了旋风般的一天乔·拜登他说，随着大规模军事援助计划在国会停滞不前，乌克兰的“自由岌岌可危”，共和党人正在推动边境政策的重大变革。
两位领导人在椭圆形办公室会晤后向记者发表了讲话，阐述了他们对乌克兰未来的愿景，以及美国在帮助这个东欧国家抵御俄罗斯入侵方面应该发挥的作用。
拜登说:“(弗拉基米尔·普京)正指望美国不能为乌克兰兑现承诺。”。“我们必须，我们必须，我们必须证明他错了。美国国会必须采取行动。”
拜登也向泽连斯基传达了这一信息:“总统先生，我不会离开乌克兰，美国人民也不会。”
泽连斯基感谢美国的支持，并表示两国可以一起“加强民主的武库”
但是，尽管泽连斯基访问了乌克兰，但国会似乎正在进入寒假休会期，而没有就拜登支持的补充援助计划达成决议，该计划包括为乌克兰、以色列和台湾以及边境执法提供数十亿美元的援助。
这笔资金被捆绑在一场立法斗争中，因为共和党人坚持对边境安全和移民政策进行重大改革，尽管他们的确切要求仍不明确。
参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)是继续援助乌克兰的坚定支持者，他对国会议员休假时僵局会被打破并不乐观。麦康奈尔周二早些时候告诉记者，即使很快达成协议，在圣诞节前通过终点线也是“几乎不可能的”。
他还说，然而，解决边界问题是关键。
他说:“当涉及到保持美国的安全时，边境安全不是一个次要问题，而是重中之重。”。
众议院议长迈克·约翰逊对此表示赞同，他告诉记者，“我已经...从第一天起，我就非常明确地表示，我们在任何国家安全追加支出方案上的首要条件是我们自己的国家安全，”
“边境绝对是一场灾难，”他说。
共和党人正在向白宫施压，要求其在谈判中采取更多措施，而拜登周二指责共和党人挟持关键援助。
“如果你受到俄罗斯宣传者的称赞，也许是时候反思你在做什么了，”他说。
拜登表示，他的团队正在与参议院民主党人和共和党人合作，试图在边境政策上找到“两党妥协”，称国会确实需要“修复国内破碎的移民系统”。
“妥协是民主的运作方式，我已经准备好并提出了妥协，”他说。“将乌克兰的资金作为人质，试图强行通过边境上的极端共和党党派议程，这不是它的工作方式。”
当被问及周二在国会山的会议上他是否听到了他想从立法者那里得到的东西，或者他是否比以前更关心时，泽连斯基说他感觉到了支持，但必须“区分”言论和行动。
“我得到了信号，它们非常积极，”他说。“但是我们知道，我们必须把文字和特定的结果分开。因此，我们将依靠特定结果。”
参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)批评众议院共和党人计划在本周末休假。
舒默说，“他们说边境和乌克兰都出现了紧急情况——你三周内不能回家。”
一些参议院共和党人人同意他们应该留在城里，直到他们能够达成协议。
“不谈判，走开，让我们两三个星期不谈判，在我看来是不负责任的。我们必须实时行动，”北卡罗莱纳州的Thom Tillis告诉ABC新闻首席白宫记者Mary Bruce。
2023年12月12日，美国总统乔·拜登在白宫椭圆形办公室与乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基握手。
埃文·伍奇/美联社
星期二早些时候，拜登在椭圆形办公室会见泽连斯基时，宣布了总统缩编授权下的2亿美元军事一揽子计划，这笔资金正在减少，这就是政府要求国会提供更多资金的原因。
两人还计划讨论如何加强乌克兰获得的援助，以及乌克兰可能加入欧盟。
“我们今天谈论的一切都将在2024年帮助我们，”泽连斯基后来说。“今天在白宫和国会两党和两院与议长的讨论非常富有成效。我代表所有乌克兰家庭感谢你们在我们临近圣诞节时给予的两党支持。”
'Freedom is on the line': Biden, Zelenskyy push for Ukraine aid in joint news conference
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy capped off a whirlwind day in Washington on Tuesday with a press conference alongside PresidentJoe Biden, who said Ukraine's "freedom is on the line" as a massive military aid package remains stalled in Congress where Republicans are pushing major changes to border policy.
The two leaders addressed reporters following a meeting in the Oval Office, laying out their vision for Ukraine's future and what role the U.S. should play in helping the Eastern European nation stave off Russia's invasion.
"[Vladimir] Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine," Biden said. "We must, we must, we must prove him wrong. The United States Congress must act."
Biden also had this message for Zelenskyy: "Mr. President, I will not walk away from Ukraine and neither will the American people."
Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for its support and said together the two nations can "strengthen democracy's arsenal."
But despite Zelenskyy's visit, it appears Congress is heading into its winter holiday recess without a resolution on the Biden-backed supplemental aid package that includes billions of dollars for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as border enforcement.
The funding is tied up in a legislative fight as Republicans insist on significant changes to border security and immigration policy, though their exact demands remain publicly unclear.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a staunch supporter of continuing Ukraine aid, wasn't optimistic the impasse would be broken by the time lawmakers leave for holiday recess. McConnell told reporters earlier Tuesday that it was "practically impossible" to get the funding package across the finish line before Christmas even if an agreement is reached soon.
He also said, however, that addressing the border is key.
"When it comes to keeping America safe, border security is not a side show -- it is ground zero," he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed that, telling reporters, "I've ... made very clear from day one that our first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security,"
"The border is an absolute catastrophe," he said.
Republicans are putting pressure on the White House to do more in the negotiations, while Biden on Tuesday accused Republicans of holding critical aid hostage.
"If you're being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you're doing," he said.
Biden said his team is working with Senate Democrats and Republicans to try to find a "bipartisan compromise" on border policy, saying Congress does need to "to fix the broken immigration system here at home."
"Compromise is how democracy works, and I'm ready and offered compromise already," he said. "Holding Ukraine's funding hostage in an attempt to force through an extreme Republican partisan agenda on the border is not how it works."
Asked if he heard what he wanted from lawmakers in his own meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday or if he was more concerned than he was before, Zelenskyy said he felt support but had to "separate" words and action.
"I got the signals, they were more than positive," he said. "But we know that we have to separate words and particular result. Therefore we will count on particular result."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized House Republicans for planning to leave town at the end of the week for recess.
"They say it's an emergency at both the border and in Ukraine -- you don't go home for three weeks," Schumer said.
Some Senate Republicans agree they should stay in town until they can strike an agreement.
"Not negotiating, walking away and letting us go for two or three weeks without negotiating in my opinion is irresponsible. We've got to move in real time," North Carolina's Thom Tillis told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce.
Earlier Tuesday, during his Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy, Biden announced a $200 million military package under the presidential drawdown authority -- a fund that is running low, which is why the administration is requesting more from Congress.
The two had also planned to discuss how they can strengthen the aid Ukraine is getting, and Ukraine possibly joining the European Union.
“Everything we talked about today will help us in the year 2024," Zelenskyy said afterward. "Today's discussions in the White House and in Congress across both parties and both chambers, with the speaker were very productive. And I thank you for the bipartisan support as we approach Christmas on behalf of all of our Ukrainian families."
