The cash could be used to bolster Ukraine’s domestic arms industry further, especially its domestic drone programme, which has proven successful in recent days, destroying at least two big caches of Russian weapons stored deep inside its borders.
“Today you help us in the implementation of this plan and in the future Ukraine will save you a lot of your resources,” Mr Zelensky said.
Why now?
There are several reasons why Mr Zelensky could have chosen now to unveil his plan for victory.
“I’ve put it all on paper, with specific arguments and specific steps to strengthen Ukraine during the months of October, November and December, and to enable a diplomatic end of the war,” he told The New Yorker.
The timeline suggests that Kyiv sees the approaching end of Mr Biden’s term in the White House to be the main reason to go for a diplomatic deal to end hostilities.
Before leaving for the US, Mr Zelensky described his plan as a historic opportunity for Mr Biden to be the president that secures Ukrainian independence.
“Let’s do all this today, while all the officials who want the victory of Ukraine are in official positions,” Mr Zelensky added, in a nod to a potential Trump presidency.
Trump has said he would end the war in 24 hours if he were to win the election in November, without revealing his exact plans to do so.
This has led to fears of a quick and “dirty” peace agreement that would result in Ukraine ceding territory to Russia against its will.
With each day that passes, the military situation in his country becomes ever more dire.
Russian forces are advancing at their fastest rate in the Donbas region for years.
With Mr Zelensky’s message that each and every Ukrainian life is precious, the 70,000 reported to have died fighting Russia is particularly painful.
The toll has only fuelled pushes from the likes of Germany, India, China and South Africa for Kyiv to reach a diplomatic conclusion.