The Ukrainian president spent the 94th week of the Russian war Gather support on both sides of the Atlantic, while his troops continued to defend against constant Russian attacks in the east and south of Ukraine.

Although the battle lines have barely moved in weeks, Russia is trying to seize the initiative after being put on the defensive by a Ukrainian counteroffensive over the summer.

Zelensky’s job was to ensure that Ukraine got the money and weapons it needed to continue the fight next year. But a trip to Washington, DC on Tuesday went unrewarded when a meeting with congressional Republicans failed to convince them to release $61.4 billion in military and financial aid.

Meanwhile, the US Senate voted 51-49 against a $110.5 billion measure proposed by Democrats. However, it allocated $14 billion in military aid to Israel.

Even if it had passed in the Senate, the Ukraine measure would still have to win approval in the House of Representatives, where Republicans also hold the majority and are holding Ukraine’s funds hostage to a domestic agenda, including abortion restrictions.

“What the Biden administration appears to be demanding is billions of additional dollars without adequate oversight, without a clear strategy to win, and without the answers that I believe the American people are owed,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said afterward his own meeting with Zelensky.

“(It) is virtually impossible — even if we reach an agreement — to get it worked out, get it through the Senate, get it to the House before Christmas,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters at the U.S. Capitol.

“Make no mistake, today’s vote will be remembered for a long time. History will judge harshly those who have turned their backs on the cause of freedom,” Biden said in a speech at the White House.

Biden had previously explained to Republicans in Congress what was at stake beyond border security and abortions as he stood next to Zelensky.

“Ukraine will emerge from this war proud, free and firmly rooted in the West – unless we walk away. But without additional resources, we will quickly reach the end of our ability to help Ukraine meet its urgent operational needs. Putin is betting that the US will not deliver on Ukraine. We must, we must, we must prove him wrong,” Biden said.

Plea for guns

According to Reuters, Zelensky asked for new weapons and weaponry during his stay in Washington, including F-18 Hornet fighter jets and Apache and Black Hawk attack helicopters. He also called for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense systems to complement Ukraine’s existing medium and low-range systems.

As part of an effort to persuade Republicans to help Ukraine, U.S. intelligence released a report revealing how much the country had accomplished with the $111 billion in aid already provided.

Ukraine destroyed 90 percent of the armed forces that invaded the country in February last year, the report said. This cost Russia 315,000 dead and injured troops out of an original force of 360,000 and destroyed 2,200 of 3,500 tanks and 4,400 of 13,600 infantry fighting vehicles armored personnel carriers.

Russia continues to suffer heavy casualties in Avdiivka, a city it has been trying intensively to capture since early October.

Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, reportedly said that Russian forces there had suffered more than 13,000 casualties in nine weeks.

Ukrainian estimates are higher. Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said that in November alone, Ukrainian forces “destroyed” 11,000 Russian soldiers and 130 tanks in the east.

To regain the initiative in the east, Russian forces were sending troops en masse, he said. “In the East, the loss of Russian casualties is about eight times higher than the loss of the Ukrainian defense forces. Nevertheless, the Russian occupiers rely on human resources,” he said.

Zelensky did not go home empty-handed from his visit abroad. The US Pentagon announced $200 million in new weapons on December 6, including air-to-air missiles. Meanwhile, Norway pledged $275 million in additional aid after a summit with leaders of Nordic countries on Wednesday. And Denmark said it would seek parliamentary approval for $1.1 billion in new funding.

The biggest package may have come from the United Kingdom, which along with Norway announced a new maritime capabilities coalition to strengthen Ukraine’s navy. The UK will provide two Sandown-class minehunters from its own fleet to help protect the Ukrainian grain corridor in the Black Sea.

Together with Norway, it will provide 20 Viking amphibious vehicles and 23 landing craft. “Ukraine’s economy continues to be impacted by Putin’s blockade in the Black Sea, which has significantly reduced the country’s ability to transport vital exports by sea,” the British government said in a statement on Monday.

Is Ukraine on the way to EU membership?

On Wednesday, the European Court of Human Rights held a Grand Chamber hearing in the Ukraine v. Russia case, in which Ukraine accused Russia of human rights violations in Crimea. However, Russia was not present.

There are four cases against Russia pending in court in Ukraine, including one filed jointly with the Netherlands.

Ukraine could win a political prize this year in Europe, where leaders are working to give Ukraine an official invitation to begin accession negotiations when they hold a summit on Thursday and Friday.

“The EU wants to send a message that it remains interested in Ukraine,” Greek conservative parliamentarian Angelos Syrigos told Al Jazeera, citing sources in the European Commission and European Parliament.

“It is very likely that the next European Council summit will give the green light to start accession talks. “It wants to send a political message to Russia,” Syrigos said.

“There is a feeling that it is going to happen, that there is no turning back,” agreed Social Democrat MEP Nikos Papandreou.

“The entire community voted for Ukraine across party lines, except for some people on the far left and the far right — the people who said Ukraine will only last a few weeks,” he said.

“[Fellow MEPs] I don’t think there will be another chance because we don’t know what the political forces will be [next year]. It’s now or never.”

Europe will hold a general election next June.

Orban – a possible dealbreaker

On Sunday, Zelensky held what he later called “candid” talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who emerged as a possible treaty breaker. That was on the day of the inauguration of Argentine President Javier Milei, which Zelensky attended in Buenos Aires along with the heads of state and government of Paraguay, Uruguay and Ecuador, whom he also met.

On Wednesday, Orban reiterated his rejection of an invitation from Ukraine to start accession negotiations with the EU. “Given the numbers, the economic analysis and if we take it seriously that the talks (with Ukraine) would be aimed at granting membership… then we have to say that at the moment this idea is absurd, ridiculous and not serious.” said Orban.

Leading EU members want the invitation to go out this week. Spain, which holds the six-month rotating presidency of the European Council, is determined to achieve this.

“I started the Spanish presidency with a trip to Kiev and hope to end it with the opening of accession negotiations with this country,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a plenary session of the European Parliament.

“I can’t imagine, I don’t even want to talk about the devastating consequences that would have [European] “The council failed to make this decision,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, calling it “the mother of all decisions.”