The Blubber

Ukraine's President Zelensky has invited former U.S. President Donald Trump to fly to Ukraine to see the scale of the conflict for himself, and has asked for more funding for the war, after saying the Israel-Palestine conflict was "taking away focus" from Ukraine.

Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has called for increased U.S. funding to support his country in countering Russia's actions. He also extended an invitation to former U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine and witness the extent of the conflict firsthand.

Zelenskiy expressed concerns that if the U.S. did not provide greater support, American troops might become involved in a larger European conflict with Russia, should the situation escalate.

He highlighted that in a worst-case scenario where Russia poses a severe threat, it could potentially target NATO countries, necessitating U.S. military involvement. This was part of an interview transcript from NBC's 'Meet the Press' scheduled to air on Sunday.

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has been pushing for the passage of a $106 billion supplemental spending bill in Congress. The majority of the funding would go toward strengthening Ukraine's defenses, with a portion allocated to Israel, the Indo-Pacific region, and border enforcement.

However, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives has introduced an alternative funding proposal. They recently passed a bill providing $14.3 billion in aid to Israel but did not include additional funding for Ukraine.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader in the Democratic-controlled Senate, has indicated that he will not bring the House bill to a vote. President Biden has stated that he would veto it.

In the forthcoming interview, President Zelenskiy extended an invitation to former U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, to visit Ukraine and witness the consequences of the conflict initiated by Russia's President Vladimir Putin in February 2022.

Donald Trump, who is seeking reelection in 2024 and is the leading candidate for his party's presidential nomination, has expressed strong criticisms of U.S. support for Kyiv and claimed that he could resolve the conflict within 24 hours if reelected.

Zelenskiy expressed skepticism about Trump's approach, stating that a visit would allow him to explain in 24 minutes that the conflict couldn't be easily resolved and that Trump couldn't bring peace due to Putin's involvement.