Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet separately with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on September 26, according to the administration, News.Az reports citing The Washington Times.
Mr. Zelenskyy, who will be in the U.S. for the U.N. General Assembly, is expected to unveil his “victory plan” after 2 1/2 years of trying to repel Russian invaders.“Our victory plan is fully prepared. All the points, all key focus areas and all necessary detailed additions of the plan have been defined,” Mr. Zelenskyy said Wednesday in his nightly video address. “The most important thing is the determination to implement it.”
The Biden administration has spent billions in support of Ukraine’s war effort while facing blowback from some in Congress. The lawmakers say Mr. Biden slow-walked critical weaponry or offered a blank check to Kyiv without adequate assurance of how the money would be spent.
Mr. Zelenskyy’s victory plan is designed to reassure Western supporters worried the war will continue in a stalemate ad nauseam.
“The leaders will discuss the state of the war between Russia and Ukraine, including Ukraine’s strategic planning and U.S. support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “The president and vice president will emphasize their unshakeable commitment to stand with Ukraine until it prevails in this war.”
Mr. Biden says peace talks should unfold on Ukraine’s timeline, rejecting GOP voices who say Kyiv should be ready to cede some occupied territory to Moscow.
The Kremlin said it was open to peace discussions but objects to holding them while Ukrainian forces occupy its Kursk region.
Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, told reporters Wednesday he would “probably” meet with Mr. Zelenskyy next week.
Mr. Trump says he was tough on Russia and that the invasion wouldn’t have happened if he had been president in early 2022.
