WASHINGTON, December 6. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky cancelled his planned video linkup with US senators, scheduled to take place during a closed briefing on allocating funds for additional aid to Ukraine, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
"Zelensky, by the way, could not make it <…> to our briefing," he said. "Something happened at the last minute."
On Monday Schumer announced that the US government had asked Zelensky to address senators during a closed briefing, adding that he expected all senators to visit the event.
Within the next few days, the US is to vote on the issue of allocating additional funds, including for military aid to Kiev.
US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on December 4 that the US administration had used 97% of the Congress-approved funds earmarked for assistance to Ukraine. On the same day, Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Biden administration, issued a letter to Congressional leadership warning that the US would run out of resources to help Ukraine by the end of the year, if the lawmakers turned down the administration’s financing draft.
In October, the US administration asked Congress to set aside extra budgetary funds for the 2024 fiscal year, which began in the United States on October 1, in assistance to Israel and Ukraine, as well as to contain China and Russia in the Asia Pacific region. In all, the US plans to spend around $106 billion for these purposes. Several House and Senate Republicans have spoken out against continuing financial assistance to Kiev. The Politico newspaper said on Monday that the Senate’s vote on assistance to Kiev, which is due on December 6, is likely to fail due to the Republicans’ position.