Amid ongoing meetings between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and lawmakers and US defense officials on Capitol Hill Tuesday, one thing is becoming clear: no breakthrough is expected in terms of GOP Congressmen being swayed to push through Biden's $106 billion defense aid package.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) was among those that are unmoved. He said after senators heard Zelensky's appeal: "It is striking to me that we’re in this place in this last week here and we’re hearing from the president of Ukraine again but we’ve yet to hear from our own president about the border, our border," Schmitt said.
"The Democrats are not interested in engaging on this in any meaningful way and the issue’s not going away" - and he emphasized further, "nothing changes. The fact that he’s here, it’s the same old stuff, there’s nothing new that came out of that."
"I just think if you listen to the people back home, they’re not interested in a blank check for Ukraine when they see 12,000 people coming across our open southern border," Schmitt said.
Zelensky called it "friendly and candid conversation" - which also suggests there was no particular breakthrough. He continued Twitter
, "I informed members of the U.
Both Senate leaders Chuck Schumer (D) and Mitch McConnell (R) accompanied him in the meeting, as both have been on record as strongly advocating for more urgent Ukraine aid. Additionally, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut held out hope that a border security deal could be completed by Christmas. "I will stay here as long as it’s necessary to get to get this done," he said in a statement to The New York Times. "I think we can finish this in the Senate and get a bill to the House before Christmas."
He claimed that Democrats have "stretched" themselves toward making legitimate compromises "that are outside of the Democratic comfort zone."
Senator J.D. Vance is also among Republican Senators pushing back hard...
WATCH: @JDVance1 SLAMS Zelensky’s bid for more aid
— Senator Vance Press Office (@SenVancePress)
“Zelensky comes to town and demands that the taxpayer give him another $61 billion, and by the way, if you want to secure your border first, you are actually a ‘Putin puppet.’ I think it’s disgraceful. I think it’s grotesque.” pic.twitter.com/OrL0PyP8ZH
Zelensky emphasized his recent theme of 'support us or we lose to Putin and Europe is threatened' message to senators. He and his officials have been sounding a note of desperation of late. He even reportedly told the US lawmakers that Ukraine is considering conscription of men over 40, according to Bloomberg.
Schumer, in a post-meeting press conference said that Zelensky "made clear, and we all made clear, that if we lose, Putin wins, and this will be very, very dangerous for the United States."