Zelensky urges swift flow of aid to Ukraine; denies corruption in his govt

Washington, Dec 12:  Visiting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky made a powerful plea to US Senators to release the $61 billion aid promised by US President Joe Biden, denying charges of corruption in his government that had held up the flow of assistance, even as Kremling said it was monitoring his movements and actions in the US.

Zelensky worked to dissuade the Senators that corruption remains a significant problem in his country and is a reason for them not to provide US funds to Ukraine, according to two Senators who attended the meeting.

“I think the notion of corruption came up because some have said we can’t do it, because people will buy yachts with the money. He disabused people of those notions with the reforms that he made out of the (International Monetary Fund) and (European Union). There have been substantial reforms,” North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis said.

Tillis was quoted by the CNN as saying that Zelensky was warmly received and spent his time trying to persuade senators to provide more funding and did not press them about the political standoff in Washington, about whether to add border policy changes to the funding bill for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said on Tuesday that it will be “very closely” monitoring the meeting between Biden and Zelensky in Washington.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov downplayed the potential impact of the Zelensky meeting with Biden and address to the Senate, saying that despite the US aid to Ukraine, there has been no significant success on the battlefield.

"It is certainly important for everyone to understand that the tens of billions of dollars pumped into Ukraine did not help it achieve success on the battlefield," he said, adding the meeting will not alter the outcome of Russia's war in Ukraine.

"We understand this process; it cannot change the situation on the battlefield, and it cannot change the progress of the special military operation either," he said.

Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Zelensky will "beg his masters, the producers of his terrible tragicomic show, not to stop generously sponsoring the Kiev regime, and to persuade the White House to care about Ukraine more than about the Americans themselves".

Zelensky addressed concerns about corruption in Ukraine during an all-Senators meeting. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Zelensky's meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill was "very powerful".

Zelensky "outlined in great detail" what Ukraine needs and how the US can assist the country in defending itself against Russia, Schumer said.

"If he gets the help he needs, he will win. If we lose, Putin wins, and this is very, very dangerous for the United States," Schumer said.