Zelensky urges Republicans to be like Reagan & unblock £49bn in aid

UKRAINE’S President Volodymyr Zelensky urged US Republicans to show the same courage as Ronald Reagan in the Cold War and unblock £49billion in aid he needs to fight Russia.

And US President Joe Biden said a failure to do so would give tyrannical Vladimir Putin “the greatest Christmas gift”.

In Washington last night, Mr Zelensky invoked Reagan’s 1987 call to “tear down” the Berlin Wall.

He said: “We need no less confidence now than President Reagan had then.”

The speech by Reagan — still a hero to many Republicans — helped spark the wall’s demolition two years later and then the end of the Soviet Union.

But his successors in the party have repeatedly hampered White House plans to send the next tranche of aid to Ukraine.

Last week, they blocked the bill amid anger over the exclusion of Mexican immigration reforms they sought as part of the package.

With Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office, Mr Biden said: “Congress needs to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before the holiday recess — before they give Putin the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him.”

On his third trip to the US since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mr Zelensky told military officers at the National Defence Academy: “If there’s anyone inspired by unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it’s just Putin and his sick clique.”

He pointed to recent drone strikes that show “Ukraine’s response to Russian barbarism can shake the ground in the heart of Moscow”.

Western intelligence sources claim Ukraine could just about hold the line against Russia but would be unable to advance if America turns off the taps.

And Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska warned her country faced “mortal danger” if the West abandons them.

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson last night insisted his party backed Ukraine but accused the White House of asking for billions of dollars without proper oversight.

He said: “We need clear articulation of the strategy to allow Ukraine to win.

“Thus far, their responses have been insufficient.”

Russia has responded to Mr Zelensky’s US visit with a huge cyber attack — with mobile and internet provider Kyivstar down and Monobank facing a massive denial of service outage.

It came as Mr Zelensky’s Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba urged the EU to make its own decisions and not be swayed by US wobbles.

The bloc is due release £43billion in aid and agree a route to Ukraine’s accession.

However, Hungary’s pro-Putin leader Viktor Orbán has vowed to oppose both plans — despite being pictured briefly talking with Mr Zelensky in Argentina on Sunday.

Britain has vowed to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.