Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House to outline his “peace strategy,” aimed at pressuring Russia into pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict.
While specific details remain confidential, it’s expected that Zelensky will seek further military aid, financial assistance, and security commitments from the U.S. leadership.
This meeting takes place against the backdrop of intensifying tensions with former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, particularly as the U.S. presidential election in November approaches.
Republicans expressed outrage after Zelensky visited a defense facility in Biden’s hometown of Scranton, alongside several prominent Democrats. It now seems unlikely that Zelensky will meet with Trump, as had been previously anticipated.
Zelensky’s recent visit to a military production facility in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania has been sharply criticized by top Republicans, who labeled it as a partisan event aimed at boosting Democratic prospects.
In an open letter, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson accused the visit of being “a strategic move to benefit Democrats” and alleged it constituted “meddling in the election.” Johnson also called for the dismissal of Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., who played a role in organizing the visit.
In response, the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee announced plans to investigate whether Zelensky’s visit was an effort to leverage a foreign leader to bolster Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
Donald Trump, Harris’s Republican challenger, ridiculed Zelensky during a rally, branding him as “the best salesman in the world” and accusing him of resisting efforts to negotiate peace with Moscow.
Earlier in the week, Trump commended Russia’s military might, remarking, “They defeated Hitler, they defeated Napoleon — that’s what they do, they fight.”
The strained relationship between Trump and Zelensky goes back years, with Trump being impeached in 2019 over accusations of pressuring the Ukrainian president to investigate a political rival.
The ongoing dispute overshadowed a crucial week for Zelensky, who made two appearances before the United Nations, urging the U.S. and its allies to increase support more than two and a half years after Russia’s invasion.
At his White House meetings, Zelensky is expected to renew his call for permission to launch U.S.-made long-range missiles into Russian territory, a move Biden has so far resisted.
In a pre-meeting statement, Biden affirmed: “Let me be clear, Russia will not win this war… Ukraine will triumph.” He also reiterated his commitment to supporting Ukraine’s path toward membership in both the EU and NATO.
Zelensky expressed gratitude to the U.S. for its “steadfast bipartisan backing” before meeting with Vice President Harris, who reaffirmed U.S. global leadership and the need for continued support for Ukraine.
As Russian forces push forward in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky’s discussions with Biden and Harris are seen by analysts as a pivotal moment in his efforts to secure U.S. backing ahead of the November election.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a revision of Moscow’s nuclear policy, potentially allowing the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear nations allied with nuclear powers. Putin’s spokesperson later described this as a “targeted warning” to the West.
