Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House next week in what is likely to be his last such visit before US elections that could upend Washington’s policy on Kyiv.
Zelensky is expected to share a “victory plan” with the US leaders to end the war with Russia during the visit on September 26 — as Kyiv frets that a second Donald Trump presidency could loosen US commitment to Ukraine.
The White House said he will have separate talks with President Biden and with Vice President Harris, who is the Democratic nominee against Trump in November’s knife-edge presidential election.
“The president and vice president will emphasize their unshakeable commitment to stand with Ukraine until it prevails in this war,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Biden said separately that he was “looking forward to hosting my friend President Zelensky.”
“During his visit, I’ll reaffirm America’s commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom and independence,” Biden said.
Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, and refused to take sides on the war during a debate with Harris last week, saying only: “I want the war to stop.”
However, Zelensky has also been pressuring the Biden administration to let it fire Western-made long-range weapons into Russian territory.
Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer put off a decision on the issue last week, with Starmer saying they would discuss it further when they meet at the UN General Assembly in New York next week
Zelensky has also said he aims to host another international peace summit outlining his vision to end the war in November, to which Russia will be invited.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dragged on for more than 30 months, with Ukraine now controlling parts of Russia’s Kursk region while Moscow presses an advance into eastern Ukraine.
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