WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday, amid heightened tensions as some Republicans accused the Ukrainian leader of interfering in U.S. elections. The two leaders discussed Ukraine’s strategy for winning the war against Russia, which has dragged on since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
After his meeting with Biden, Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold talks with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. However, there are no plans for Zelenskyy to meet with Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, who has ramped up his criticism of U.S. aid to Ukraine. Trump recently accused Zelenskyy of refusing to negotiate with Russia, stating, “We keep giving billions to a man who refuses to make a deal.”
Republican lawmakers have voiced strong objections to Zelenskyy’s recent actions, particularly his visit to a munitions factory in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the upcoming November election. In a letter to Zelenskyy, House Speaker Mike Johnson accused the visit of being a “partisan campaign event” aimed at bolstering Democrats, calling it “election interference.” Johnson’s letter demanded that Zelenskyy dismiss Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, for allegedly orchestrating the visit.
“Support for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine remains bipartisan,” Johnson said, “but our relationship is strained when the top Republican presidential candidates are targeted by your officials.”
Former President Trump has also been critical of Biden’s handling of the conflict, suggesting the U.S. administration has prolonged the war by supplying weapons and aid to Ukraine. Trump argued that Kyiv should have made concessions to Moscow before the invasion, claiming the war has left Ukraine “in rubble” and no closer to a peace deal.
“Any deal, even the worst deal, would’ve been better than what we have now,” Trump remarked.
New U.S. Aid for Ukraine
In advance of Zelenskyy’s visit, the Biden administration announced a new $8 billion aid package for Ukraine, including a Patriot missile battery, missiles, air-to-ground munitions, and a precision-guided glide bomb with a range of up to 130 kilometers. The U.S. also plans to expand training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, with an additional 18 pilots set to begin training next year.
“For nearly three years, the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine in defending their freedom from Russian aggression,” Biden said in a statement. “This has been a top priority of my administration.”
Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for the new aid, stating that it included “the items that are most critical to protecting our people.” He emphasized that Ukraine would use the assistance efficiently to achieve their shared goal of “victory for Ukraine, lasting peace, and transatlantic security.”
The two leaders also briefly met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York earlier in the week, where Zelenskyy provided Biden with updates on the war’s front lines and thanked the U.S. for its continued support.
Among the topics expected to be discussed during Thursday’s meeting are Ukraine’s requests for permission to use donated weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory, a move Ukrainian officials argue is necessary to limit Russia’s missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.
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