Zelenskiy meets Republican doubts in push for US aid to fight Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy walks next to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as he arrives for a meeting with all U.S. senators at the Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 12, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden warned Republicans on Tuesday that they would give Russia a "Christmas gift" if they failed to provide additional military aid to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose meeting with a top U.S. lawmaker concluded without a commitment for more support.

Zelenskiy traveled to Washington to plead for money to back Ukraine in its war with Russia, but he faced a skeptical reception from key Republican lawmakers. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, would not agree to support Biden's request to give Ukraine $61.4 billion.