The top Senate Democrat is leading a delegation to show solidarity as Ukraine fights off a Russian assault and to push the G.O.P.-led House to drop its opposition to sending more U.S. aid to Kyiv.
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Senator Chuck Schumer’s first official visit to Ukraine amounts to something of a victory lap, after he steered an aid bill through the Senate this month.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, is traveling to Ukraine on Friday for a visit meant to show American solidarity with a democratic ally under attack by Russia and increase the pressure on Republicans to drop their opposition to additional U.S. aid.
The trip, Mr. Schumer’s first official one to Ukraine, comes at a critical time, as a foreign assistance package that includes more than $60 billion in military aid for Kyiv is stalled on Capitol Hill amid Republican resistance.
It amounts to something of a victory lap for Mr. Schumer, the New York Democrat who managed to maneuver the aid bill through the Senate this month with a resoundingly bipartisan vote that came after months of partisan wrangling.
But it is also a last-ditch bid to salvage the legislation in the House. Under pressure from right-wing hard-liners hostile to funding Ukraine’s war effort, the Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, has rejected bipartisan entreaties to put it on the floor.
Mr. Schumer plans to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and his newly appointed military commander, Oleksandr Syrsky. He said he hopes to show how congressional foot-dragging on more aid has hurt Ukraine’s efforts on the battlefield and to appeal to House Republicans to take action before it’s too late.
“We think we will be able to bring back very strong, specific evidence as to why Ukraine is, for the first time, losing the war — or, you know, retreating in the war,” Mr. Schumer said in an interview before his departure. He cited a lack of ammunition — a key component of U.S. military assistance packages since early 2022 — as a chief reason. “We also think we can bring back a view and give great detail as to how Ukraine can win this war, if they’re given what they need.”
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Source: nytimes.com
