border security which republicans have insisted be added to the package, zelensky met with top lawmakers including the brand-new house speaker, mike johnson, many republican holdout to meet with zelensky say a deal remains unlikely, let's go straight to mj lee who was at the white house, what are we expecting here on the two leaders beyond just a pitch to get this money from congress to ukraine? >> jake, this press conference obviously has been quite delayed but we did just see the ukrainian delegation in the u.s. delegation take their seats in the front row, secretary blinken, secretary austin, other officials are in the room so we should see president biden and president zelenskyy enter the room any moment, i think white house officials and u.s. officials had made the point this visit is about so much more than the issue of u.s. funding for ukraine which clearly on capitol hill right now, fans at an impasse. they're saying the world is watching right now including russian president vladimir putin, this is the kind of visit that can send a message to the world at such a critical moment in this conflict about the u.s. discontinuing steadfast support, there is another -- i'm going to toss it back to you. >> here is the president of the united states and the president of ukraine, let's watch and listen in. >> please, have a seat. president zelenskyy, it is an honor to welcome you back to the white house. one president putin launched his brutal total invasion of ukraine in february of 2022, and russian tanks rolled over the border towards keith -- give for a month. no one should forget that for you to be here today, again today nearly two years later and for ukraine to be standing strong and free is an enormous victory already. putin has failed to subjugate ukraine. the brave people of ukraine have defied putin's well at every turn. backed by the strong and unwavering support of the united states and our allies, and partners in more than 50 nations in europe, and the indo- pacific. ukraine will emerge from this war proud, free, and firmly rooted in the west unless we walk away. the american people can be and should be incredibly proud at the part they played in supporting ukraine success, we will continue to supply ukraine with critical weapons and equipment as long as we can including $200 million i just approved today in a critical needed equipment additional air defense interceptors, artillery, and ammunition. without supplemental funding, we are rapidly coming to an end of our ability to help ukraine respond in the operational demands that has. putin is banking on the united states failing to deliver for ukraine. we must prove him wrong. the united states and congress must as i asked last week, it is stunning that we have gotten to this point. we need to fully appreciate how this is being viewed around the world. it's being used by russia. russian loyalists in moscow celebrated when republicans voted to block ukraine's aid last week. the host of a kremlin run show literally said and i quote well done, republicans! that is good for us and of quote, let me say that again, this host of a kremlin run show said well done, republicans. that's good for us. that's a russian speaking. if you're being celebrated by russian propagandist, it might be time to rethink what you're doing, history will judge harshly those who turn their back on freedoms cause. today, ukraine's freedom is on the line. if we do not stop putin, he will endanger the freedom of everyone almost everywhere. putin will keep going and would be aggressors would be a bold and to try to take what they can by force. mr. president, i will not walk away from ukraine and neither will the american people. a clear bipartisan majority of people across the united states and in congress support your country. they understand as i do that ukraine success and its ability to deter aggression in the future are vital to security for the world at large. i have repeatedly made clear from our first day in office, we also need ukraine to make changes to fix the broken immigration system here. we need congress to make the changes to fix the broken immigration system here at home, my team is working with senate democrats and republicans to try to find the bipartisan compromise both in terms of changes in policy and providing resources we need to secure the border here compromises how democracy works , and i'm ready and offer compromising already. holding ukraine funding hostage in an attempt to force through an extreme republican partisan agenda on the border is not how it works. we need real solutions. i also asked congress for funding for israel, to take on hamas and confront multiple other threats backed by iran in the wake of the october 7th assault, national security advisor sullivan will travel to the region this week and meet with the israeli war cabinet as i have met with them to emphasize our commitment to israel as well as the need to protect civilian life and ensure more humanitarian assistance flows and reaches into gaza for palestinian civilians. secretary austin will also travel to the region this week to step up the international efforts to protect the free flow of commerce through the red sea, the entire world is watching what we do so let's show them who we are. america stands for freedom, today, tomorrow, and always. america stands against tyranny and against oppression. america stands with the people of ukraine. thank you again for being here today, mr. president and thank you for everything ukraine is doing to hold the line for liberty in the world, the floor is yours. >> thank you very much, mr. president. dear journalists, i am glad to be here personally thank you and tell you how ukraine loves what we have achieved together, defending life and freedom. in ukraine, we are fighting for our country and read him and dolls will in europe, we see our freedom and yours. this resonates not only in our country, not only in our hearts and in ukraine but also in poland multiple states, and others. when freedom is strong, one country is strong everywhere. when it is -- it presents its merits to others. ukraine's -- ukrainians have twice lended evolutions, defending freedom for literally two years we have been in a full-scale war, the biggest since world war two. fighting for freedom, we stand for no matter what putin tries. he has not won any victories. thanks to ukraine success and defense, other european nations are safe from russian aggression unlike in the past. ukraine can now tackle the russian dictatorship, so our children and other nations, they won't have to shed their blood and sacrifice lives defending against russian aggression. we have already made significant progress, we have shown that our courage and partnership are stronger than any russian hostility. we have freed 50% of the terrorist russia occupied after february 24th. we won the black sea and reviving our economy thanks to maritime experts, ukraine 5% economic growth this year proves our effect of partnership. we have shown that no russian missiles cannot do the powerful american systems. thank you very much. even during war, we are reforming our country and our institutions today, president biden and i discussed how to increase our strengths for next year, air defense and destroying russian logistics on ukraine's land, mr. president, thank you very much, we are supporting -- for supporting us in these areas like our jury in the black sea. we aim to win the air battle. this will intensify our ground advances in 2024 with out -- our control of the skies, who controls the skies controls the wars duration. today, i would like to think of course -- significant defense package with our defenders we value very much, second, yesterday i met with american defense company leaders. they advised us on how to make our defense industries work faster and more effectively, thank you, president biden for this important initiative that we started with you. together, ukraine and america can transform democracies arsenal. this is vital for other free nations and the u.s. as it involves your company's technologies and technology advancement, in job creation. it is important to know that two thirds of american support for ukraine remains and works in united states, i informed mr. president that ukraine has fulfilled all of the recommendations of the european commission regarding the preparation for a decision to start negotiations on ukraine's -- to the eu, we constantly communicate with european leaders about our joint steps -- staff sanctions and political efforts to pressure russia. american leadership is crucial and keeping this unit together, a unit that serves the entire free world. i thank america for new sanctions and today, we discussed putin's further isolation and making him pay for his aggression. it's very important that by the end of this year, we get sent a very strong signal of our unity to our aggressor and the unity of ukraine, america, europe and the entire free world. everything we talk about today will help us in the year 2024, today's discussions in the white house and in congress across both parties and both chambers with a speaker -- we are very productive and i thank you for the bipartisan support as we use approach christmas on behalf of -- our ukrainian families separated by war and all sons and daughters on the front, ukraine's greatest wish is to meet this war's victorious end, no one but putin wants prolonged war. we dream of a christmas in peacetime, of course. we are working on our success in this. we are heading there together with you, thanks of course to your support. thank you very much. mr. president? thank you, america. >> thank you, look, we are going to alternate asking questions and ask a total of two questions, i will ask the first question. i will recognize the first question asked there. [ laughter ] i will ask a question too. danny kemp? >> thank you, mr. president. for president biden, ukraine's counteroffensive has stalled in recent months, congress is blocking aid, vladimir putin appears ready to wait things out, so what is the strategy for the u.s. and ukraine next year to try to turn this around? if that fails, at what point do you say it's ukraine as a friend, as it is about time to start looking at peace talks. president zelenskyy , welcome back to washington. did you hear what you wanted to hear from congress and from president biden? are you indeed more worried than when you got here? thank you very much. >> let me answer the question first, put this into perspective it remember how far ukraine has come. russia has failed thus far in trying to erase ukraine from the map and subsuming into russia. it ukraine has taken back more than 50% of its territories seized since february of '22. it has pushed back russian navy, so ukraine can export grain and steel to the world through the black sea. thanks to the incredible courage of the ukrainian people in the bipartisan support, it's not just american support. there are more than 50 countries , 50 countries helping ukraine with military economic, and humanitarian assistance. 50, the burden sharing that u.s. has put up $75 billion and our allies and partners put up $100 billion. more than 90% of our security assistance to ukraine is being spent in the united states to provide weapons for ukraine and replenish our stockpiles and build our industrial base, we need to ensure putin continues to fail in ukraine and ukraine to succeed in the best way for that, to do that is to pass this up. >> yeah. i can answer in ukrainian. >> translator: thank you, first of all i would like to answer to the war -- words of mr. president biden, about successes. i think that this was not an easy success, we were quite serious, we had a serious steps forward in this, we gain victory on the sea, we have destroyed ships of the russian federation. we throw the remnants of their fleet to russian territorial waters, they have something in the black sea in the vicinity occupying crimea but they secede this activity, they destroyed 20,000 of -- wagner mercenaries, who were everywhere on african, continent, syria in ukraine. it these terrorist organizations are not existent anymore. yes, we have a lots of problems but nonetheless, we were able to do this, moreover, russia was not able to say any part of our territory, any village, any town. not talking about large cities, we are going to proceed with this. it goes without saying that we have objectively helped clear, plan, but if you allow me, i'm not able to tell you in public of the details of the thousand and 24 operations. if i heard what i wanted, i have heard a lot. i experienced this from president biden administration from -- talking with speaker. we know we have two separate worlds on a particular result, therefore we count on particular results. thank you. >> yeah, sorry. >> thank you for taking my question. many republican voices doubt the ability of ukraine to win the war. they recently even told ukraine needs to cede some territories to stop fighting. to be very honest, have you even considered such a step to see territories to stop fighting? mr. biden, could you please clarify the policy of your administration and the strategy on ukraine? is it helping the country to defend itself or to win the war? it's obviously a difference. >> i will begin, okay. >> translator: first question, so your question is -- if we are ready to give up on territories? >> translator: it's not only about our wars, it is about what we are ready and what we are not, how ukraine is able to give up its territories, that is insane. we are mentioning -- very open that it is not about free agency, we have all the people there and all the families there, we have children there that are part of ukrainian society, we are talking about human beings, they are being tortured. they have been killed, those voices reach over in our territories, as well to gear up our people. [ indiscernible ] i have a question to these people -- if they want to give up the children to terrorist. i think no. >> people want to see ukraine win the war as i've said before, and means ukraine as a sovereign, independent nation and they can afford to defend itself today and at her further aggression. that's our objective. trevor? >> thank you, sir. first, a question for both of you. given the republican skepticism of the ukraine effort, do you are the that a second term for president trump would be the end of an independent ukraine for both of you, for you, president biden. just an update if you could on the situation in gaza on the reports that israel has begun flooding hamas tunnels and just the offensive in gaza generally, how long do you think that operation should last? >> thank you. >> first of all with regard to political support for ukraine, there is a strong bipartisan political support for ukraine, a small number of republicans who don't want to support ukraine but they don't speak for the majority of the republicans, in my view, weird negotiating to get funding we need, not to promise, not making promises but hopefully we can get there, i think we can. you're right, the world is watching what we do, we just sent a horrible message to aggressors and allies if we walked away, it would hurt our national security. do you want me to answer any other questions as well? in regard to -- say it again? >> sorry, the question was just if you could talk a little bit about the gaza operation, israel flooding hamas tunnels and if you'd had conversations with benjamin netanyahu about how long that operation should last . >> i have had conversations with benjamin netanyahu, i want to make sure that we don't forget what we are doing here, we have to support israel because they are an independent nation that's being -- the brutality, the inhumanity, the way in which hamas treated the israelis. rape , burning, heading. it is beyond comparison. beyond comparison and to anything else i've seen since i have been here, i've been around for a long time but i think we have made it clear to the israelis and they are aware that the independent safety of palestinians is still of great concern. so, the actions they are taking must be consistent with attempting to do everything possible to prevent innocent palestinian civilians from being hurt, murdered, killed, lost, et cetera. look, it does not lessen the responsibility going after hamas and innocent palestinians, and hamas. look, we have had a responsibility to protect citizens, that is why i've worked so hard with our arab friends as well as the israelis to get humanitarian assistance into israel, literally getting up to 140 trucks loaded with gear, food, everything needed by palestinians including fuel, israel has stated its intent to fulfill these responsibilities, it's very difficult with regard to the flooding of the tunnels, i'm not at -- there is assertions being made that there are no hostages in any of these tunnels. i don't know that for a fact, i do know that every civilian death is an absolute tragedy and israel has stated its intent to match its words with its intent, with actions. that's why i was talking about that today. question three? i guess i ask that, >> i'm sorry. >> year term. >> translator: so, addressing your question about a quick why, i have been talking with representatives of both parties, both democrats and republicans approved full legislative support, we will see but before this, we have always been trusting in support of our strategic partner, the united states and will consider it will continue in this way, ukraine will not remain alone against such a critical terrorist in the russian federation. >> thank you so much, next summer, the united states will host a nato summit which raises a lot of hope especially for ukraine. president zelenskyy, what does the ukrainian side expect from the summit? do you hope to hear direct invitation for ukraine to join the alliance? president biden, under what conditions is the united states ready to support the initiative of inviting ukraine to be a member of nato? thank you. >> thank you for your question. i will answer very quickly. this is a very complicated question, we are not allies until now, we are allies but not members of nato. that's why i think i will pass this question to -- [ laughter ] our big friend, president biden. >> look, i'm very proud of how strong and unified nato has become. now it is even larger. putin wanted to be rid of nato when i met with him. in geneva right after i was elected. he's gotten the nato -- instead. they will be in ukraine's future, no question. as we said, ukraine will become a member of nato when all allies agree and conditions are met, right now we had to make sure they win the war. it you know, we launch the joint decoration support alongside president zelenskyy and the g7 leaders. we outlined a long-term commitment to supporting ukraine's defense needs. we also hosted the defense industry conference last week here in d.c. to get critical work done, it's a step at a time. thank you all very much, thank you, everybody. this concludes the press conference, thanks, everybody. >> distinguished guest, remain in your seats while the principals depart. >> president biden and ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy speaking briefly then taking questions from reporters as president zelenskyy seeks more aid for the fight against russia and the russian invasion that begins in every where a 2022, he remains hopeful. more funding for ukraine will come through despite an impasse in congress right now admits republican opposition, zelenskyy reaffirming that them giving any territory to rush is out of the question, it's not even the topic at hand, it's about whether the people of ukraine will continue to be under the oppressive rule of russians who were killing and -- making ukrainian suffer. let's bring i