Brandon Livesay
Live reporter

We’re now ending our live coverage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Washington DC.

The purpose of the visit was to drum up support for a $61bn aid package from the US that has stalled in Congress.

If Zelensky was hoping for certainty out of today’s meetings, it doesn’t seem like he got it.

Republicans and Democrats are standing their ground in negotiations over the aid, and Zelensky met with members of both parties today to plead his case.

Top Republicans maintained that for the aid to be approved, it must be combined with funding for stricter security measures on the US-Mexico border. The White House has opposed this.

You can read more about today's developments here.

And this article examines what impacts will be felt in Ukraine if US aid dries up.

Our writers today have been Max Matza, Gabriela Pomeroy and Doug Faulkner. Bernd Debusmann Jr was reporting from Capitol Hill and Anthony Zurcher was giving us updates from the White House.

This page was edited by Phil McCausland, Jessica Murphy and myself.

Thanks for joining us.

The former Ukrainian defence minister, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, says a further $61bn from the US is absolutely crucial to his country's war effort.

"No army can win without the armored vehicles. No army can win without armored personnel carriers, tanks, or technical aviation" he told the BBC earlier today.

American defence aid "changed the situation on the battlefield" he said, "because we disabled Russia's inability to advance."

But he admitted that Ukraine "needs to learn the lessons of the counter-offensive" which has stalled and "clearly define what is missing, fill those gaps and move on."

"We should not like lay down hands and say OK, something's not working. Let's not fight. That's not an option," he added.

Sarah Smith
North America editor

Image source, Getty Images

Topped with razor wire and split by mountains, the infamous border wall that cuts through the desert between Mexico and the state of California has long been a focal point for America's heated debate on migration.

But with funding for the war in Ukraine and Gaza on the line in Washington DC, the issues at the wall have taken on new urgency.

Since the start of the year, about two million migrants have been apprehended at the US-Mexico border for crossing into the country illegally, a record high.

The futility of the border fortifications is obvious near the small town of Jacumba. Wherever the wall meets the mountains it simply stops, creating a large gap that anyone can walk through to enter the US, and serving as a visual reminder of America's broken immigration system.

In a Senate vote this week, Republicans blocked additional funding for Ukraine or Israel unless the Biden administration agrees to hardline immigration reform.

"I will not go back to South Carolina and try to explain why I helped Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel and did nothing to secure our own border. I will help all of our allies, but we got to help ourselves first," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told media on Thursday.

You can read more about the border crisis here.

Why US border security has been tied to this aidpublished at 23:06 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2023

23:06 GMT 12 December 2023

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

In October, the Biden administration proposed combining Ukraine aid with military support for Israel and Taiwan and some funding for the border.

It was a strategy that, the White House hoped, would smooth the way for congressional passage with aspects that would appeal to Democrats and Republicans.

The White House was partially correct.

Republicans did seek to link military funding to more action that would address the surge of undocumented immigration at the US-Mexico border. But on top of the money the Biden administration proposed, conservative lawmakers also want fundemental immigration reform with specific changes to the asylum system.

“This is not a traditional negotiation, where we expect to come up with a bipartisan compromise on the border,” Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas recently said. It is the “price that has to be paid” to reach a deal on Ukraine.

Democrats have balked at the demand, but are scrambling to pass the aid.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a White House ally working on the negotiations, said the administration is "more engaged" in talks and ramping up its pressure campaign.

Until Biden can find a way to break the impasse on immigration either by making further concessions or forcing Republicans to back down, however, the outlook for a resolution that gets military support to Ukraine quickly looks grim.

• Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelensky has been in a series of meetings in Washington DC to try to save a $61bn (£48.5bn) US defence package for Kyiv
• The deal is at a standstill with Republicans and Democrats unable to come to a compromise. Republicans want immigration policy changes before they will sign off on Ukraine aid
• President Joe Biden told Zelensky "I will not walk away from Ukraine"
• And Zelensky said European nations are safe from Russian aggression because of "Ukraine's defence"'
• Earlier, he met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, with the former describing their talks as "very powerful"

• The Ukrainian president then met with House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose stance on border issues has held up the aid package
• Johnson told reporters that while the American people stood with Ukraine against the "brutal invasion" by Russia, the Biden administration was asking for billions of dollars with "no oversight"
• "The border is an absolute catastrophe," Johnson said, adding that House Republicans won't budge until "transformative" changes are made and clarity was given on how aid would be used in Ukraine

The final question was about the potential of Ukraine joining Nato, but Biden says: "right now we need to make sure they win the war".

And with that, the press conference ends.

A reporter has asked about the possibility of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, and Zelensky made his opinion clear.

Again, he answered through a translator.

"How is Ukraine to give up its territories? That's insane to be honest," he said.

"It's not a matter of territory, it's a matter of life, of families, of histories."

With the initial statements now over, reporters are asking both leaders questions.

The first question for Zelensky was if he had heard what he wanted to hear on this trip to Washington DC.

He answers in Ukrainian, with a translator telling the media his response.

“I am not able to tell you in public the details of the 2024 operations," he says.

“I got the signal, they were more than positive.”

Zelensky has specifically mentioned the Patriot missile systems, saying Russian weapons cannot match it.

“We aim to win the air battle, crushing Russian air dominance... Who controls the skies controls the war’s duration,” he says.

He also says: "thanks to Ukraine’s defence, other European nations are safe from the Russian aggression."

“We’ve shown that our courage and partnership are stronger than any Russian hostility.”

Zelensky is now speaking, and he is outlining some of what was discussed today in the White House.

He says he spoke with Biden about Vladimir Putin's "further isolation" and the need to make him pay for his aggression.

He says Russia wants a prolonged war.

He adds that it is "very important that by the end of this year we can send a very strong signal" to "the aggressor".

The US President also delved into the issue at the heart of why Ukrainian aid has not been approved by Congress,

He says, "we also need Congress to fix the broken immigration system, here at home".

“Compromise is how democracy works... I have already offered compromise.”

He finishes by telling the gathered media members that “America stands for freedom - today, tomorrow and always”.

Biden is the first to speak and he says, "Putin has failed" and the "brave people of Ukraine" have defied Putin's will at every turn.

He says, "I will not walk away from Ukraine".

"Ukraine will emerge from this war, proud free and firmly rooted in the West, unless we walk away."

Biden says "we must prove" Putin wrong, and the Russian leader was banking on the US not coming through with aid.

Biden and Zelensky have just walked in front of cameras and are both standing behind podiums.

We will bring you their comments shortly.

You can also watch the press conference by clicking the Play button at the top of the page.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Unlike the past two visits by Volodymyr Zelensky, today’s joint press conference is not being held in the White House.

Instead, the venue is the Indian Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across a driveway from the presidential mansion.

It is a stunningly ornate setting, with high vaulted ceilings and plenty of marble and granite.

Most of the ceremonial rooms in the White House proper are full of Christmas trees and assorted holiday decorations.

A quick update, we are still waiting for Biden and Zelensky to emerge.

They were scheduled to hold a press conference about 25 minutes ago.

Stick with us, we will let you know as soon as they appear.

We're expecting to hear from both President Biden and President Zelensky in the next few minutes.

They are scheduled to hold a press conference at 16.15 ET.

You will be able to watch a live stream by pressing the Play button at the top of the page.

While Zelensky and Biden meet at the White House, let's check out the details of an announcement made earlier today.

The US Treasury has handed out new sanctions on more than 150 entities and individuals.

The US says these are groups and people who supply Russia’s military with technology, machine tools and equipment.

The announcement said networks across the world were targetted, but made specific mention of groups in Turkey, the UEA and China.

Several individuals in China, for example, will be sanctioned for selling Chinese-made weapons and technology to Russia.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said "our sanctions today continue to tighten the vice on willing third-country suppliers and networks providing Russia the inputs it desperately needs to ramp up and sustain its military-industrial base."

Under the sanctions, property assets in the US will be blocked.

Ukrainians will be watching today's meeting between Biden and Zelensky closely.

BBC's correspondent in Kyiv, Jessica Parker, explains that people in Ukraine are "holding out hope" for a deal to be reached.

"I think that Ukrainians feel they are fighting for a wider cause," she says, adding it is "crucial days ahead for Ukraine".

You can watch Parker's report from Kyiv in the video below.

Anthony Zurcher
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

The Biden administration rolled out the red carpet for Zelensky – quite literally - the last two times he visited Washington.

Back in September, the Ukrainian president’s motorcade rolled up to the south entrance of the White House along a driveway lined with soldiers in dress uniform carrying military flags. The president and first lady Jill Biden met Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska, and the four posed for photographs. They then walked down the aforementioned carpet into the executive mansion.

This time around, Zelensky’s black SUV drove to the less ceremonial West Wing entrance. He was greeted by the member of the president’s staff, with minimal fanfare and Biden nowhere in sight.

It was a low-key arrival that reflects the business nature of this visit - and the pessimistic mood that currently surrounds efforts to win more aid for Ukraine from reluctant Republicans in Congress.

President Zelensky also spoke briefly from the Oval Office, where he thanked America and other allies for supporting Ukraine.

He said "Ukraine can win" against Russia, and he specifically mentioned defeating Russian forces in the Black Sea.

Zelensky said he wanted to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence system, which remains key to defending the country's civilian population.