Zelenskyy meets with Biden and will present him with victory plan: First details
Photo: Presidents of Ukraine and the USA Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joe Biden (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden met at the White House in Washington. During the negotiations, the Ukrainian leader will present detailed aspects of his victory plan in the war against Russia.
More about the meeting between the two leaders and what preceded it can be found in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
According to a correspondent from Ukrinform in Washington, the Ukrainian and American leaders are holding a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House.
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the United States Joe Biden in the Oval Office (x.com/holosameryky)
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the United States Joe Biden in the Oval Office (x.com/holosameryky)
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the United States Joe Biden in the Oval Office (x.com/holosameryky)
What to expect from the Zelenskyy-Biden meeting
According to CNN, President Zelenskyy's visit to the White House on Thursday may be his last opportunity to persuade President Biden to increase support for Ukraine before the American president leaves office.
The exact details of the victory plan that Zelenskyy will present remain unknown, as the Ukrainian side has kept it under wraps until it is revealed to the American leader.
However, Western media sources have indicated that the plan includes four key points:
- A request for security guarantees from the West.
- Continuation of Ukraine's operations in the Kursk region to secure territorial "leverage" for negotiations.
- A request for "specific" advanced weaponry.
- International financial assistance for the economy.
Additionally, it has been confirmed by the Office of the President that an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO is also on the list.
Zelenskyy previously stated that the victory plan is designed for "quick decisions" from partners and will be effective if implemented within the next two months.
One of the main topics expected to be discussed at the meeting may involve Ukraine's request for permission to strike deep into Russian territory using Western weapons. Specifically, this pertains to missiles such as Storm Shadow and ATACMS.
Zelenskyy has expressed confidence that allies such as France, Britain, Italy, and Germany will allow strikes into the rear of Russia, but a decision from the US is necessary, and so far, that permission has not been granted.
It’s worth noting that the Ukrainian leader will also meet separately with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for president from the Democrats. This meeting will take place after Zelenskyy's conversation with Biden.
Zelenskyy's visit to the US and new aid package
On September 22, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States. He held dozens of meetings with world leaders, government officials, congress members, and American community leaders.
Zelenskyy also participated in the Future Summit, addressed a meeting of the UN Security Council, and spoke at the UN General Assembly. Notably, on the sidelines of the latter, he met with US President Joe Biden, during which they discussed the situation in Ukraine at the front and agreed to talk about the victory plan during their meeting in Washington.
Additionally, the U.S. allocated a $375 million aid package to Ukraine, and President Biden later announced the provision of a military aid package worth $7.9 billion.
This package includes an additional Patriot air defense battery, other air defense systems, interceptors, drones, long-range missiles, and air-to-ground munitions, as well as resources to strengthen Ukraine's defense industry.
Moreover, the White House decided to expand programs to train more Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s and imposed new sanctions against Russia.
Scandal involving Republicans in the US
However, the visit was not without controversy. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy visited a military factory in Scranton that produces 155mm artillery shells for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The BBC noted that Scranton is the hometown of President Joe Biden, and Pennsylvania is a key state in determining the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections in November. During the meeting in Scranton with Zelenskyy, only Democratic representatives were present, which caused noticeable discontent among some Republicans, who perceived the Ukrainian president's visit to a pivotal state as a form of campaigning for their opponents.
In response, US House Speaker Mike Johnson released a letter to President Zelenskyy outlining ultimatum demands directed at Ukraine. He later stated that he could not schedule a meeting with the Ukrainian president this week because he was "very busy."
It was anticipated that Zelenskyy would also meet with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, but Western media reported that this meeting would not take place. The day before, Trump had made harsh statements criticizing the Ukrainian president.
For more on this, see the separate material by RBC-Ukraine titled 'Easy target': How Trump uses Zelenskyy's visit to US in election race.
Sources: materials from CNN, Voice of America, The Times, BBC, and Ukrinform.
