Zelenskyy meets Biden and Harris: Key takeaways and media reactions

Zelenskyy is also scheduled to meet with Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Sept. 27.

Before his visit to the White House on Sept. 26, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. Senate to discuss key points of his victory plan.

NV summarizes the interim results and assessments of Zelenskyy's main meetings in the United States.

What is known about the outcome of Zelenskyy's meetings with Biden and Harris

At a meeting at the White House, Zelenskyy and Biden discussed the "diplomatic, economic, and military aspects of the plan" and instructed their teams to hold "intensive consultations" on the next steps. They also likely discussed authorizing long-range strikes on Russian territory with Western weapons.

The next stage of work on Ukraine's plan and its implementation should be a new meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy on Oct. 12. It will take place in Germany, where Biden will chair the meeting in the Ramstein format.

"On Oct. 12, 2024, President Biden will host a leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany, where the two leaders will review progress on these consultations and coordinate with international partners on additional assistance for Ukraine. President Biden is determined to provide Ukraine with the support it needs to win," the White House announced the meeting.

Zelenskyy's key statements:

• Presented Biden with a victory plan, thanking him "for his strong support and decisions that help protect Ukraine and Ukrainians."
• Called on the Congress to support Ukraine: "This must be our common achievement – a victory for freedom, without any compromise at the cost of freedom. Here in the U.S. capital, we have many friends who have stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians in the fight for freedom and independence since the first days of the full-scale invasion. I am grateful to every member of the Senate for their support."
• Called one of Ukraine's priorities "the same vision of the security future" with its allies: "We have 26 bilateral security agreements with partners based on the G7 security declaration. We have a strong security agreement with the United States, and we are grateful for it, and we will fully implement it. And it's very important that we have the same vision of Ukraine's security future in the EU and NATO, and Ukraine is implementing an unprecedented number of reforms on this path."
• "It is extremely important for us to be fully understood and to work in full coordination with the United States" – his statement before the meeting with Harris, which was also to discuss the Kursk operation, "what has been achieved and future ambitions".
• "We must continue to put pressure on Russia to end the war and establish a truly lasting and just peace."
• "The primary task for Ukraine and other freedom-loving countries is to achieve not a frozen peace, but a real, genuine peace."
• "We must maintain sanctions against Russia and use the process of immobilization of Russian assets to protect Ukraine, our people, our cities, our front line from Russian evil. And, of course, we must work hard to bring all Russian war criminals to justice."
  

Biden's key statements:

• At a meeting with Zelenskyy, he announced his decision to ensure “a surge in security assistance for Ukraine."
• Named "two key components" of how "Ukraine can win this conflict." The first is to strengthen Ukraine's position on the battlefield. The second is to "help Ukraine in the long term on its path to EU and NATO membership."
• Announced a new security assistance package worth $2.4 billion (together with the planned remainder of almost $6 billion, which Biden also guaranteed to use until the end of his term, which is more than $8 billion) – the composition of the new weapons package has already been made public
• Stated that "Russia will not prevail in the war. Ukraine will prevail, and we’ll continue to stand by you every step of the way"
• Declared that he had decided to provide Ukraine with Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) cruise bombs with a range of up to 110 km. Biden made this decision to "strengthen Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities."
  

Harris' key statements:

• The idea of forcing Ukraine to surrender territory is unacceptable: "Some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, demand that Ukraine adopt 'neutrality' and abandon security relations with other countries. These proposals are the same as those of [President Vladimir] Putin. And let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender. This is dangerous and unacceptable."
• Promised to work for Ukraine's victory if she wins the U.S. election: "I am proud to stand with Ukraine. I will work to ensure that Ukraine wins this war, remains secure, protected, and prosperous. The U.S. must continue fulfilling its long-standing role as a global leader," she said at the meeting with Zelenskyy.
• "We must uphold international order, rules and norms. Each of these principles is at stake in Ukraine. And that is why Ukraine's struggle is important to the people of America."
• The United States supports Ukraine "not out of charity, but because it is in our strategic interest."
  

What American and international media wrote about the outcome of the meetings

The Washington Post states that although the White House tried to demonstrate strong support for Ukraine, it rejected Zelenskyy's main request – permission to launch long-range strikes with American-made missiles, including ATACMS, against Russia's deep rear. The newspaper writes that the meetings with Biden and Harris were a sign of Zelenskyy's "frantic effort" to convince the White House. However, Biden "did not grant Kyiv's request," instead announcing additional military aid to Ukraine and new air defense equipment.

The WP also notes that Zelenskyy's visit to the United States took place "at an intense, potentially pivotal moment in both the Ukraine war and the American election." "The Ukrainian president at times struggled to navigate the turbulence of the U.S. political landscape at a moment when some Republicans are increasingly hostile to his country’s war effort and more sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin," the article says. The authors also stress that Zelenskyy's "urgent" request for long-range weapons has exacerbated "divide over the Russia-Ukraine war" in the United States with the presidential election weeks away.

"The political furor surrounding Zelensky’s visit reflects a complex three-way dance involving Democrats, who want to help Ukraine make military progress before a potential Trump presidency; Republicans, who are divided over — and increasingly opposed to — supporting Ukraine; and Zelensky, who has made it clear he fears time is running out for his country’s war effort," WP concludes.

The New York Times, analyzing the new meeting of the President of Ukraine with congressmembers, writes that "Zelenskyy's star power in Washington has noticeably faded" and reminds of the contrast with his past visits to the Capitol. The article notes that during Zelenskyy's visit to Washington less than two years ago, the Ukrainian president was greeted with a standing ovation and a nearly $50 billion aid package.

Now, on Sept. 26, the Ukrainian leader was received with much more restraint.

"Mr. Zelenskyy is widely regarded as Ukraine’s most persuasive advocate, gifted in his ability to cut through partisan congressional gridlock with appeals to speed weapons and other supplies to Kyiv. But as the war against Russia drags on, his star power in Washington has noticeably faded, with potentially dire consequences for the future of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine," the NYT writes.

The newspaper adds that Zelenskyy, who was delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 25, failed to arrive on Capitol Hill before both houses of Congress adjourned for the election campaign. This resulted in low attendance at events with the President of Ukraine. At the same time, congressional leaders did little to increase the significance of this visit.

CNN notes that Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House "may have been his final chance to convince a receptive American president of his country’s war aims” in the war with Russia. The TV channel also notes that amid the U.S. election campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris used the moment of her meeting with Zelenskyy "to draw a stark contrast between her and former President Donald Trump’s approach to the conflict." In particular, Harris hinted that Trump would force Ukraine to cede territory to the Russian invaders, which would meet Putin's demands.

"While Harris did not specify who she was talking about, the implication was clear. And though Zelenskyy has sought to cultivate relationships with Republicans, including Trump, during his visits to the United States, it was not lost on him or anyone watching that November’s election is providing fresh urgency to his search for a way to position Ukraine for victory," CNN writes.

The Times also states that Zelenskyy will have to return to Ukraine without receiving permission to use Western long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. No change in Washington's position on the use of these missiles was announced following Zelenskyy's talks with Biden, which took place less than 24 hours after Vladimir Putin warned that even a conventional air attack on Russia by Ukraine, backed by the West, could provoke a nuclear response, the Times notes.

At the same time, the new aid package announced by Biden includes the first case of providing Ukraine with precision-guided bombs called Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) with a range of up to 110 km, the newspaper notes. They could make it easier for Ukraine to launch remote strikes against Russian forces, increasing the range of strikes from F-16 warplanes. However, while the JSOW bombs will enhance Ukraine's strike capability, "they will not allow it to destroy Russian military bases far from the border, something that Kyiv says is necessary to save the lives of civilians," the British outlet writes. So Zelenskyy probably "left the White House disappointed," the Times suggests.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Zelenskyy's "whirlwind of meetings" at the White House and the Capitol was designed to help him try to communicate his plan to turn the tide in Russia's war against Ukraine. The visit also provided Zelenskyy with an opportunity to "thank the United States for its continued support and to try to smooth out tensions with Republicans ahead of November's elections, the results of which could determine the course of future aid."

Revealing the content of Zelenskyy's conversation with the congressmen, Senator Lindsey Graham noted: "He asked for one thing: 'Let me use the weapon to its maximum advantage. According to Graham, Zelenskyy believes that if Ukraine can target Russian air and missile bases, it will give him leverage to force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. The plan outlined to the senators "was to provide Ukraine with the momentum going forward," added Senator Dick Durbin.

The WSJ notes that the Biden administration has been rather tight-lipped about the details of Zelenskyy's plan. In particular, White House national security spokesman John Kirby only clarified that Zelenskyy had presented the "broad outlines" of a victory plan, which Joe Biden's national security team would have to "dig a little deeper" in the coming weeks. Kirby declined to provide details, but said the plan includes steps to end the war and prevent any future Russian aggression.

"This was Zelenskyy's fifth visit to Washington since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Much has changed since Zelenskyy was hailed as a hero during a speech to both houses of Congress in a packed House chamber two years ago, and a significant number of Republicans now oppose more aid [to Ukraine]. The Capitol was mostly empty on Thursday, with most lawmakers boarding planes a day earlier to head home for the last recess before Election Day," the WSJ concludes.