Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived at the White House on Wednesday, the first stop in a brief, high-stakes visit to Washington that marks his first time leaving his country since Russia invaded more than 300 days ago.
Seated in the Oval Office, US president Joe Biden told Mr Zelenskiy he was “delighted” the Ukrainian leader could visit even as Russia was escalating assaults on Ukrainian civilians and “trying to use winter as a weapon”.
Mr Biden also pledged continued support for Ukraine; shortly before Mr Zelenskiy arrived in Washington, his aides announced $1.85 billion (€1.74 billion) in new lethal assistance for Kyiv, including the long-coveted advanced Patriot missile defence system.
“We will support Ukraine pursuing a just peace,” said Mr Biden, who wore a tie in Ukraine’s yellow and blue national colours.
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Mr Zelenskiy described his visit as “a great honour” and said he had wanted to come earlier. He thanked Mr Biden, Congress and “ordinary people” in the US for their support, and presented the US president with an award given to the captain of a unit in the Donbas that uses Himars – a US-supplied mobile artillery system – which the soldier asked to be passed to Biden.
Mr Biden and his wife Jill greeted Mr Zelenskiy shortly after Ukraine’s leader touched down outside Washington on a US air force plane. Mr Zelenskiy was clad in his customary military green cargo pants and a sweatshirt with Ukraine’s state emblem, which is the shape of a trident.
The two presidents put their arms around each other before heading inside the White House.
Later in the day, Mr Zelenskiy was due to address a joint session of Congress before returning to Ukraine. He was expected to make his case to sustain US support, and for the West to step up weapons shipments.
Mr Zelenskiy’s visit comes at a critical moment in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Officials in Kyiv have warned Moscow is gearing up for a possible winter offensive as Ukraine fends off Russian attacks on two fronts: on the ground, where grinding combat between the militaries is under way, and in the skies, where Moscow has pummeled Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.
Western weaponry will be critical for Ukraine’s ability to maintain its defences. Kyiv has long sought the Patriot system, which analysts say will be a powerful addition to the country’s air defences, although it will not offer immediate respite from the mass Russian missile and drone attacks that are smashing Ukraine’s power infrastructure.
The Biden administration sought to use the visit to showcase US support for Ukraine as the country heads into a tough winter. Mr Zelenskiy travelled to the US via Poland on a US Air Force C-40B and landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
In addition to the Patriot system, the US also announced it will for the first time transfer joint direct attack munitions, which convert unguided aerial munitions into “smart bombs”, allowing Ukrainian forces to more precisely target Russian military positions.
The US will train Ukrainian troops on the Patriot system, likely in Germany, for weeks before it arrives in Ukraine. It is expected to take some time before the system is operational on the battlefield.
Congress is also set to vote this week on a spending bill that includes $45 billion in additional funds for Kyiv. The US has already committed tens of billions of dollars in military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
However, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have suggested that passing additional aid for Kyiv will be more challenging next year when they take control of the lower chamber of Congress.
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The Biden administration, Ukrainian officials and other Western allies have had quiet conversations about what a diplomatic solution could ultimately look like, though US officials stress the timing is not right.
“Biden is not going to pressure or push Zelenskiy to the negotiating table, but rather, he is going to work with Congress and with our allies to put Ukraine in the best possible position on the battlefield so that when the time is ripe, they are in the best possible position at the negotiating table,” a senior administration official said before Mr Zelenskiy’s visit. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022