Zelensky's Meeting With US Defense Contractors Sparks Backlash

Ukraine's efforts to garner further support in the U.S.'s private defense sector have sparked criticism, as Kyiv races to shore up Congressional backing for its fight against Moscow into the new year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he had met with the heads of several U.S.-based defense companies, expressing his "gratitude to every American worker who manufactures weapons that help us safeguard our people and defend our land."

Among the attendees were the president of BAE Systems, Tom Arseneault, Lockheed Martin Vice President Raymond Piselli, and the vice president of AeroVironment, Charles Dean, as well as representatives from other major companies.

They manufacture some of Ukraine's most-needed and sought-after equipment, including the HIMARS and Patriot systems and kamikaze drones. It was "an important and fruitful meeting," Zelensky said in a post to social media.

The Ukrainian leader arrived in Washington for his latest visit to the White House on Tuesday, with doubts over the future of vital U.S. military aid for Ukraine's war effort hanging heavy over the trip.

The courting of the U.S. defense sector drew outrage from some, including independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, who took to social media platform X to write that the Ukrainian leader "is literally meeting with defense contractors."

"First Zelensky visits our Congress to try to bully them into giving him even more money, now he's straight up meeting [with] defense contractors," an X account user with the handle @MrStevenSteele added. "It's clear who the real winners of war are, it's not the American people."

"Monsters," added another X account with the handle @donaldrusso994, a supporter of the Republican former president Donald Trump and the movement referred to as MAGA, or Make America Great Again.

Ukraine's military needs are huge as its attritional war against Russia grinds on, and deals with the U.S. defense sector could be lucrative for these companies as they provide Ukraine with the resources it seeks.

The U.S. is the single biggest contributor of military aid to Ukraine, and has committed more than $44 billion in security assistance to Kyiv since the outbreak of all-out war in the country in February 2022. But resistance to unfettered support for Ukraine is visible in Congress, with aid packages stripped from emergency government funding bills.

Funding Bill

Many Republicans are blocking a $110 billion funding bill, that includes around $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, because they want tighter security measures at the U.S. southern border.

"I think the American people agree with us that national security begins at our own borders," Republican representative and speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday, adding: "We have to maintain our own sovereignty, that we can project peace through strength and help our friends."

"President Biden and his administration's officials should also stop assuring Ukraine that U.S. aid will be forthcoming," said the U.S. think tank Defense Priorities, which argues for rolling back U.S. military involvement abroad.

While the Biden administration unveiled a new $200 million aid package on Tuesday, the White House warned earlier this month that "by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from U.S. military stocks."

"Cutting off the flow of U.S. weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield," the White House's budgeting head, Shalanda Young, said in a letter to Congress on December 4. "There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money—and nearly out of time," Young wrote.

"I will not walk away from Ukraine, and neither will the American people," Biden said on Tuesday.

Zelensky has positioned Russian President Vladimir Putin as the victor of U.S. division on military aid, saying during a speech at the U.S. National Defense University on Monday that the Kremlin's "sick clique" benefits from "unresolved issues on Capitol Hill."

Ukraine is also hoping to build up the long-term production of arms and military equipment alongside the U.S., Zelensky said on Tuesday.

"It is important to develop joint production of artillery ammo, air defense systems, and artillery and missile systems," Zelensky added. "Together, we can create more jobs, generate more strength, and provide more opportunities for both of our nations."

Targeting the defense sector rather than the politicians is not a new idea, and one connected to Zelensky since the early months of the full-scale war. Last week, around 350 U.S. and Ukrainian figures from the government and industry met during a U.S. Department of Commerce conference aimed at finding "opportunities for co-production and other industrial cooperation with Ukraine."

"The conference is part of the U.S. government's efforts to significantly increase weapons production to support Ukraine's fight for freedom and security," the U.S. government said.

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