Lindsey Graham meets Zelensky in Kyiv: Ukrainian leader hosts Republican Senator in his bid to add to the $75 billion in aid the U.S. has already sent while funding stalls in Congress

• Graham’s visit comes as Biden pressures House to pass additional Ukraine aid 
• Senate passed bill with $60 billion in aid for Ukraine but House has not held vote
• Graham voted against the latest aid package in February
• Speaker Johnson said House would hold standalone vote for  Ukraine & Israel aid
• U.S. has provided $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine since early 2022 

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the U.S. grapples over sending additional military aid to the war-torn country.

Zelensky posted a video about hosting the South Carolina senator on Monday in which the Ukrainian leader said they discussed comprehensive assistance for Ukraine.

‘I informed Senator Graham of the frontline situation and our army’s priority needs,’ Zelensky wrote. ‘It is critical that our partners continue to provide military and technical assistance, such as air defense systems and missiles.’

The Republican senator’s visit comes as the Biden administration has been putting pressure on the House to approve $60 billion in supplemental aid which has already passed in the Senate.

Graham, despite his visit to Ukraine, voted against that package.

‘The continued support of Ukraine by international partners, particularly the United States, is now more important than ever in implementing plans to de-occupy our territories and protect our people. Democracy and freedom must prevail—now and always,’ Zelensky wrote in a post accompanied by a video of his meeting with Graham.

‘We’ll talk about all of the above’ Graham said in the video. ‘Before we say anything, I just admire what you and your people have been able to do for two years.’

‘I remember we were told Kyiv would fall in four weeks. You’re still here. Still fighting,’ he added.

Following the visit, Graham released a statement in which he called the meeting ‘very productive’ and reiterated that he supports former President Trump’s idea of ‘turning aid from the United States into a no-interest, waivable loan’ as the ‘most likely path forward.’

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on March 18, 2024

Sen. Graham’s visit comes after he voted against the latest supplemental aid package to allies including $60 billion for Ukraine. The aid passed in the Senate but has been held up by Republicans n the House

Last week, the White House announced the U.S. was preparing to send another $300 million military aide package to Ukraine despite House Republicans failing to move on aid in Congress.

The additional support is instead paid for from savings from previously negotiated weapons contracts. The package includes anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition artillery rounds, anti-armor systems and more.

But administration officials have emphasized the additional aid does not replace the need for the security package on the hill.

The House has not passed a Senate-passed $95 billion security package that bolsters aid for Ukraine, Israel as well as the Indo-Pacific.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had resisted putting up the bill up for a vote as many in his conservative wing oppose sending Ukraine any more funding.

But late last week at the House GOP retreat, Johnson said he does expect to hold a standalone vote on Israel and Ukraine aid.

While Johnson acknowledged the urgency for funding, he said the House would not work through foreign aid until the government funding fight over the 2024 fiscal year is done. His office did not have details yet on a timeline.

Johnson revealed that he expects the House to hold a standalone vote on Israel and Ukraine aid as pressure builds from the Senate after it passed foreign aid package last month

A local resident collects belongings in the ruins of a destroyed house on the outskirts of Makiivka (Makeyevka) in the Donetsk region of Ukraine as the Pentagon has found a work around to send more weapons to the war-torn country

It comes as the White House recently warned Ukrainian soldiers are running out of ammunition as they fight Russian forces in the war that has now raged for two years since Russia’s invasion.

The U.S. believes that without additional American military support, ‘countless lives’ will be lost this year, the Washington Post reported.

The lack of a supplemental could overtime potentially lead to Ukraine’s collapse a senior U.S. official told the Post.

Graham had been a vocal supporter for aid to Ukraine and has visited the war-torn country multiple times.

But he suddenly reversed course when the aid package came before the Senate for a vote last month and voted against it.

Graham said that he had spoken to former President Trump about the package and the ex-president was against it.

In a statement at the time, Graham also said the U.S. needed to deal with the U.S. border first and the aid package should be a loan as Trump had suggested.

The United States has provided roughly $75 billion in aid to Ukraine since the beginning of 2022 including more than $46 million in military aid as well as other financial and humanitarian assistance.

During the meeting with Graham, Zelensky thanked the United States for its two years of support from Congress but said his country is now in a ‘very challenging period.’

Graham told Zelensky in the video Russian President Vladimir Putin will go down in history ‘the way all the people like Putin go down in history, just a matter of time.’

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