Biden invites congressional leaders to the White House to discuss aid to Ukraine

President Biden will press congressional leaders at a White House meeting on Wednesday to pass his funding for Ukraine, Israel and the border, his press secretary announced Tuesday.

Biden's request for $61 billion in military aid to Ukraine has been held up by a dispute with Republicans on Capitol Hill, who are demanding restrictive new policies at the border in exchange for their votes. But negotiations have been stalled for weeks, leaving aid to Ukraine in limbo.

The president and his aides have warned that failure to approve funding for Ukraine could mark a victory for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in the two-year war that followed his invasion.

A face-to-face meeting at the White House would be the first face-to-face discussion between Mr Biden and congressional leaders in months. The president's legislative and national security aides have been talking to their counterparts on Capitol Hill since before the Christmas holidays.