Zelenskyy visits D.C. to meet with Biden and Congress leaders on Ukraine war aid

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks about why sending additional aid to Ukraine is critical.

Zelenskyy meets with senators at 9 a.m.

Zelenskyy plans to address senators in the Mansfield Room at the Capitol just off the Senate floor starting at 9 a.m. ET.

All 100 senators are invited to the meeting, which is expected to last about an hour.

The meeting with senators comes at a critical time, with negotiations surrounding the national security supplemental package continuing, but making little progress. The Senate is scheduled to leave town at the end of the week until January.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is back in the United States appealing directly to Biden and members of Congress for additional aid for his embattled country. The Senate has been at a standoff over sending aid, and Ukraine’s counteroffensive has stalled. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports for “TODAY.”

Senate negotiators doubt they’ll get a deal to unlock Ukraine aid this week

The top two senators negotiating an immigration deal cautioned yesterday that the clock is ticking and they may not be able to reach an agreement this week before the Senate is scheduled to adjourn for the rest of the year.

That means President Joe Biden’s package of aid to Ukraine and Israel could falter with it, with the debate slipping into an election year that will make it even harder to secure a bipartisan agreement.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who is leading the discussions for Republicans, said he still believes negotiators are “making progress” but cautioned that “every day” that goes by without a deal “makes it more complicated” to reach one.

“There’s no way to get it done this week,” Lankford said in an interview. “The question is are we staying in next week or does this actually move into early January to be able to resolve? That’s a big unknown at this point, and that depends on how the negotiation actually goes and how we’re actually working through to be able to actually get text that actually works.”

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Zelenskyy and Biden to meet as Ukraine aid package stalls in Congress

Ukraine’s president will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday as an aid package with funds for the war-torn country stalls on Capitol Hill amid disagreements over immigration policies.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to speak with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, where there is growing GOP skepticism about providing more financial and military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The White House meeting is “a chance for the president to get an update from President Zelenskyy about how things are going on the battlefront, but also to make it very clear to President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people that we’re going to continue to support them, particularly at this very difficult time,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a news briefing Monday.

Kirby added that Biden will also make the case “for why additional funding for Ukraine and Israel are vital to our own national security interests at this time.”

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