Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told him that he would do “everything” to support Ukraine as lawmakers work to reach a deal on providing military aid to the war-torn country.
In an interview Sunday with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Zelensky said the message he has for Johnson is of “trust” and whether they can “trust partners or not.”
“That’s what I have to say,” Zelensky continued. “So when we spoke to each other, he said that he will do everything to support Ukraine, and he’s on our side, and he understands how heroic our people, our soldiers, and civilians, and etc. And he said … that his prayers are with us, and he said that he will do it.”
Zelensky, speaking with Collins on the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said he delivered the same message to the White House that he did with Johnson when he visited the United States.
He said he pleaded with President Biden for a deal, asking him and Johnson to “put the pause” on partisan issues between Democrats and Republicans and help lawmakers reach a deal. Zelensky also acknowledged “the election period” is “challenging.”
“Yes, I gave this message, my message. I think that Johnson heard it. And Biden also heard it. So that’s it. What can I do? I can’t push the Speaker. This is his decision, but I think he understands all the challenges, what we have.”
Zelensky’s interview comes more than four months after Biden requested his most recent aid package including military funding for Ukraine. The Senate recently passed a bipartisan national security funding package, which included $60 billion for Ukraine, but the House, under Johnson’s leadership, has refused to take the package to the floor for a vote.
Asked in the interview if he trusts Johnson’s word, Zelensky told Collins, “I have to trust. I have to trust. But we will see.”