Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to give a high-profile virtual address to members of Congress on Wednesday morning as he tries to build pressure on the U.S. and European allies to ramp up their military support of his nation under siege.
Zelensky is expected to call for the US to help enforce a no-fly zone in Ukraine -- to protect civilians -- and provide fighter aircraft that the Ukrainians can use to defend themselves.
These two controversial options divide lawmakers, with Republicans more hawkish about giving Ukraine jets, but some Democrats -- and the White House -- concerned Russia could consider such a move an escalation and potentially draw America into war.
Lawmakers of both parties say they are wary of a no-fly zone at this time because they think it could pit the US directly against Russia in the skies over Ukraine.
The speech comes as Russia’s invasion is about to enter its fourth week, sparking a growing humanitarian crisis and the threat of an entrenched, drawn-out war.
US President Joe Biden signed $13.6 billion in humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine into law on Tuesday as part of a massive government funding package ahead of Zelensky’s address.
The billions in aid to Ukraine comes after Biden moved last week to ban imports of Russian oil and, in coordination with Western allies, revoke normal trade relations with Russia. That’s all on top of increasingly harsh sanctions against Russian banks, oligarchs and Russian President Vladimir Putin himself that the U.S. and Europe have imposed in the last few weeks.
But Zelensky is likely to press lawmakers to do more to help his country beat back Russian forces.
But Biden has been unwilling to provide some of the exact things that Zelenskyy wants — like a no-fly zone, advanced missile systems and fighter jets — creating tension between a cautious U.S. president and a Ukrainian leader desperate for more superpower help.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly and emotionally called for NATO to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which Biden has steadfastly refused to do for fear that any possible confrontation between American and Russian planes or troops could escalate into a much larger conflict and potentially world war.
Biden also nixed a move for Poland to transfer aging jets through the United States to Ukraine, for fear that it could escalate the conflict.
Biden, meanwhile, has taken a far more cautious approach. He has drawn clear lines that he has said he will not cross, such as putting American soldiers on the ground in Ukraine, while making clear to Putin that the U.S. will defend every inch of NATO territory.
That approach has drawn some recent criticism, with some believing that it could embolden the Russian president, but White House aides have said that laying down the markers was a means to exhort allies to help with everything they can while also being reassured that the U.S. would not provoke the conflict further into Europe.
During his most recent call with Biden, Zelensky pressed the US to implement further sanctions against Russia, in an effort to cut the country off from international trade and target the Russian elite.
The House has passed largely symbolic legislation banning the imports of Russian oil and limiting Russia's access to the World Trade Organization, which followed Biden's executive order banning Russian energy imports. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said this week that the House intends to take up legislation to revoke Russia's trade status as a "most favored nation" -- a move backed by Biden that requires an act of Congress.
Top Republicans in recent weeks purposefully measured their criticism of Biden, signaling that they want to put on a united front and send a clear signal that the President would have bipartisan support if he were to move ahead with more punitive measures.
