Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy meets with Biden in White House

Reacting to US President Joe Biden's promise of further military support for Kyiv on Wednesday, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said despite wanting "to do the right thing," he and fellow conservatives would be unbending until Democrats met their demands on immigration reform at home.

Johnson, who as speaker controls the progress of any possible spending measures, insisted the Biden administration would have to show exactly how the funds promised to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be used.

"What the Biden administration seems to be asking for is billions of additional dollars with no appropriate oversight, no clear strategy to win, and none of the answers that I think the American people are owed." 

Johnson said, "we stand with him [Zelenskyy] and against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's brutal invasion," adding, "the American people stand for freedom and they're on the right side of this fight."

Speaker Johnson said the House GOP's conditions for approving emergency supplemental funding remain clarity of purpose and use regarding spending and "transformative change" in how the Biden administration deals with border security. 

Republicans in Congress have increasingly shown a desire to halt funding to Ukraine, claiming that money would be better spent fortifying the US' southern border with Mexico.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the White House on Tuesday after talking to senior US lawmakers amid a deadlock on proposed aid for Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden told Zelenskyy that it would be a "Christmas gift" to Russia's Vladimir Putin if Congress fails to pass fresh military aid for Kyiv.

Speaking in the Oval Office at the White House, Biden said to Zelenskyy that "we are going to stand at your side" even as Republicans block a new $60 billion (€55.6 billion) package of assistance for war-torn Ukraine.

Biden also told the Ukrainian president not to give up hope in his country's fight against Russia's invasion, saying the US Congress should fund additional aid. Biden also announced $200 million in separate military assistance for the country.

Meanwhile, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said it would be "practically impossible" for Congress to pass a supplemental funding package including aid for Ukraine before Christmas.

McConnell told reporters that a deal will not happen until Biden reaches agreement with Republicans, who want to link funding for Ukraine to new border security measures.

The European Commission proposed the first steps toward using revenues from frozen Russian state assets to help Ukraine recover and rebuild.

The assets were frozen last year after the European Union began imposing sanctions on Russia over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to the Commission, more than €200 billion ($216 billion) of Russian assets are frozen in the EU, the vast majority of which are held in Belgium and handled by the Euroclear clearing house. The assets may be frozen, but they are generating income in the EU. Euroclear estimated the proceeds related to EU sanctions at around €3 billion in the first nine months of 2023.

All transactions related to the management of reserves and assets of the Central Bank of Russia are prohibited.

Under Tuesday's proposal, Euroclear would manage and record these proceeds in a special accounting system and would be prohibited from distributing them to shareholders or other third parties, the official said.

The use of frozen Russian assets has long been debated in the EU. Seizing the assets themselves and making them available to Ukraine is seen as both legally and politically difficult.

The United States has issued fresh Russia-related sanctions targeting hundreds of individuals and entities in Russia, China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The US Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 people and entities in an attempt to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the US and its allies over the war in Ukraine.

"We will continue to use the tools at our disposal to promote accountability for Russia’s crimes in Ukraine and those who finance and support Russia's war machine," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The Treasury said it imposed sanctions on a network of four entities and nine people based in China, Russia, Hong Kong and Pakistan over the facilitation and procurement of Chinese-manufactured weapons and technologies to Russia.

It also targeted Turkey, United Arab Emirates and China-based companies over the shipment of technology, equipment and inputs, including ball or roller bearings, aircraft parts and X-ray systems.

The State Department also targeted Chinese entities in an action against a network it said was involved in procuring microelectronic components for Russian state conglomerate Rostec, which itself is under US sanctions.

It said the microelectronics were being used to develop electronic warfare systems. Companies in Russia, Turkey and Hong Kong were also targeted as part of action against the network.

Washington is also seeking to curtail Russia's future energy production and fuel export capacity. The US targeted three companies developing the Ust-Luga liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, a facility at a Baltic seaport in northwest Russia to be operated by Gazprom and RusGazDobycha.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the second day of his trip to Washington, met with US lawmakers on Capitol Hill to make a last-ditch plea for continued military support in his fight against Russia.

Wearing a black shirt and olive drab pants, Zelenskyy was greeted with sustained applause as he arrived for a closed-door meeting with US senators. He was accompanied by Chuck Schumer, the chamber's top Democrat, and Mitch McConnell, the top Republican.

Zelenskyy will also meet privately with House Speaker Mike Johnson and then head to the White House, where he and President Joe Biden will hold a news conference at 4:15 p.m. local time (2115 GMT).

The White House told Congress on December 4 that the administration will run out of money to provide more weapons to Ukraine after the end of the year.

Congress has approved more than $110 billion (€102 billion) for Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 invasion, but no new money has been approved since Republicans took over the House of Representatives from Democrats in January.

The European Union aims to convince Hungary to back its proposed €50 billion ($54 billion) aid facility for Kyiv at its summit this week to send a clear signal to Russia, a German government official said.

All but one of the bloc's 27 member states support the Ukraine facility, the official said, referring to Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban has touted his ties with Moscow and threatened to veto the aid.

"Our clear aim is to convince this state that the Ukraine facility is the right instrument to show our unity and send Russia a clear signal, but also to support US President [Joe] Biden's efforts to mobilize the further necessary support," the official said.

Ukraine needs planning stability as it enters its second wintertime fighting off a Russian invasion, the official told a briefing in Berlin. Such pay-outs from the shared EU budget need unanimous support of all member states.

The German government official also said the budget crisis in Berlin in the wake of a constitutional court decision that threw Germany's finances into disarray would not affect the German government's commitment to providing aid to Ukraine.

"The Ukraine facility is the highest priority in our point of view and must be financed come what may," the official said noting that budget talks were not expected to prevent Chancellor Olaf Scholz from attending the summit.

Ukraine's largest mobile operator, Kyivstar, has been crippled by an unprecedented cyber attack. Telephone and internet connections in the provider's network failed across the whole country. The company website was also unavailable.

However, the company assured customers that personal data had not fallen into the wrong hands. Kyivstar says it has 24 million subscribers. The company recommended that subscribers switch to the networks of other providers.

The origin of the hackers was initially unknown. Ukraine's SBU security service said it had opened a criminal investigation and sent agents to the company's offices.

"The special services of the Russian Federation may be behind this hacker attack," the SBU said in a statement.

"This is a war, it takes place not only on the battlefield, it also takes place in virtual space and unfortunately, we are affected as a result of this war," Kyivstar's General Director Oleksandr Komarov said on national television.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian internet bank Monobank also reportedly became the target of a massive DDoS attack on Tuesday, and the country's second largest mobile phone provider Vodafone reported technical problems too.

Finland's government said it will reopen two crossings (Vaalimaa and Niirala) on its long border with Russia on Thursday after closing all eight roads between the two countries in late November to prevent an influx of asylum seekers.

"The government has today decided to keep the eastern border closed except for two border crossing points," Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said.

Orpo said that the restrictions have been eased in order to assess whether "there is a change for the better." 

"If the phenomenon continues, we will close these border crossings," he added.

Finland last month shut the Russian border until December 13 to block an increasing number of refugees from arriving in the Nordic nation in what the government and its allies said was an orchestrated move by Moscow.

Some 900 asylum seekers from nations including Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen entered Finland via Russia in November, an increase from less than one per day previously, according to the Finnish Border Guard. The arrivals stopped when Finland shut the border.

Finland's relations with Russia soured after the invasion of Ukraine. Moscow warned of "countermeasures" after Finland joined NATO in April, reversing its decades-long policy of military non-alignment.

Radio Free Europe/Liberty (RFE/RL) said that Russian authorities have leveled a fresh charge against its journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva.

A US-Russian dual citizen, Kurmasheva was arrested in October in the central city of Kazan and charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent."

RFE/RL is funded by the US government.

Kurmasheva is now also accused of distributing "fake" news about Russia's armed forces, a charge that carries years in prison.

The Baza Telegram account, with close links to law enforcement, said the new charges were brought against her for a book, titled "Saying No To War," that she edited.

The new charge against Kurmasheva is part of the legislation adopted by Moscow to stifle dissent in the wake of its war against Ukraine.

Kurmasheva is the second US journalist to be arrested in Russia this year.

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal correspondent in Moscow, has been in custody since March on spy charges he firmly denies. 

Newly appointed Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, on Tuesday said his government would try to maintain global support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

"We will ... loudly and decisively demand the full mobilization of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war," Tusk said 

In his policy speech to parliament a day after his appointment, he said he found it painful that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to make such efforts to persuade world leaders to keep up their assistance.

Tusk also pledged to resolve the monthlong blockade at the Ukraine border by Polish truckers who are calling for the reintroduction of entry permits for their Ukrainian competitors. Some have alleged that the blockade has hindered the transit of arms destined to help Ukrainian armed forces.

Tusk, who was previously prime minister from 2007-2014, has returned to office at the head of an alliance that spans the political spectrum from left-wing to more conservative parties. 

He also served as European Council president from 2014-2019 and is expected to greatly improve Poland's relations with the EU after many years of rule-of-law disputes between Warsaw and Brussels.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday allowed Ukraine access to another loan tranche to the tune of about $900 million (€834 million).

The IMF executive board, which released the money after a second review of its loan program for Ukraine, said it was to be used for budget support.

The arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility is meant to bolster Ukraine's economic and financial stability, restore debt sustainability and support Kyiv's path to EU accession. 

In all, Ukraine will receive $15.6 billion through the fund.

"This program has been vital to maintain macroeconomic and financial stability and support the ongoing recovery," said IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington.

"With the much-needed support from the international community, Ukraine has been able to implement and sustain strong economic policies," said Georgieva. "The authorities also continue to demonstrate Ukraine's commitment to tackling vital governance and corruption issues."

Zelenskyy said the IMF support was "very important for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people."

"In times of war, a secure financial system is crucial," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to visit US President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday as a domestic political dispute between Democrats and Republicans in Congress halts further billions in US military aid to Kyiv.

Washington has said the funds that have so far been approved for Ukraine will completely run out by the end of the year. The two leaders will be hoping to find ways of persuading Congress to approve the aid package before the year-end holidays.

The funds in question are a $110 billion (€118.7 billion) national security package, $61.4 billion of which would go toward Ukraine.

A White House statement released in advance of the visit said the leaders are expected to discuss "Ukraine's urgent needs and the vital importance of the United States' continued support at this critical moment." 

During his visit, Zelenskyy also plans to meet with members of Congress, including Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, in a bid to break the deadlock. Many Republicans lawmakers have been calling on the government to focus more on domestic affairs, instead of a war in Europe.

Moscow has responded to news of the impending meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy by saying that "tens of billions of dollars" already given by the US to Ukraine had failed to bring Kyiv battlefield success and that further aid would change nothing.

All the same, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow would watch the meeting "very attentively."

tj/lo (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)