President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will each meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Thursday to hear from the Ukrainian leader on his plan for victory in his country’s nearly three-year-old effort to repel Russian invading forces.
Zelensky is scheduled to arrive at the White House in the afternoon for a planned 1.45 pm ET sit-down with Biden in the Oval Office. Harris is set to welcome him to her ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at 3.25 pm ET.
The Ukrainian leader has been in the United States for the UN General Assembly, where on Wednesday he warned world leaders that Russian president Vladimir Putin is attempting to “break the Ukrainian spirit” by targeting his country’s energy infrastructure. He also cautioned against accepting purported peace deals that would be negotiated without Ukraine having a say.
“Any parallel or alternative attempts to seek peace are, in fact, efforts to achieve an out instead of an end to the war,” he said, adding later that he was skeptical of the “true interest” behind a recent push by China and Brazil to foster an end to the conflict.
“When some propose alternatives, half-hearted settlement plans, so-called sets of principles, it not only ignores the interests and suffering of Ukrainians … it not only ignores reality, but also gives Putin the political space to continue the war,” he said.
Zelensky also toured a Pennsylvania plant where munitions destined for his armed forces are being made. That visit drew anger from Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called for Zelensky to fire the Ukrainian ambassador to the US in response.
The sit-downs between Zelensky and the two American leaders come after Biden announced another large tranche of US security assistance for Kyiv. That assistance includes nearly $8 billion in aid from Defense Department and State Department programs, as well as access to Joint Standoff Weapon long-range munitions and additional Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and another Patriot battery.
“Through these actions, my message is clear: The United States will provide Ukraine with the support it needs to win this war,” Biden said in a statement.
The president noted that Ukraine has “won the battle of Kyiv, reclaimed more than half the territory that Russia seized at the start of the war, and safeguarded its sovereignty and independence” during the time that his administration has worked to surge defense aid to the country.
“For nearly three years, the United States has rallied the world to stand with the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom from Russian aggression, and it has been a top priority of my administration to provide Ukraine with the support it needs to prevail … but there is more work to do,” Biden added.
Biden’s announcement of more security aid to Kyiv comes just weeks before a US presidential election that could determine whether Ukraine remains a sovereign country or becomes a Russian vassal state. Trump was impeached in late 2019 for using US security aid to attempt to blackmail Zelensky into announcing sham investigations into Biden and his son. Nearly five years later, he has threatened to cut off American assistance to Kyiv if he gets a second term, all while promising to end the war by forcing Zelensky to accept terms that would be favorable to Putin.
Zelensky was set to meet with Trump in New York this week but the ex-president canceled the meeting after Zelensky critiqued Trump running-mate JD Vance’s position on the war in an interview with the New Yorker.