When they meet at the White House on Thursday, Zelensky is expected to try to convince Biden to change his mind.
On the first leg of his US visit, Ukraine’s president visited a factory in Pennsylvania on Sunday that produces badly needed 155mm artillery shells.
“I began my visit to the United States by expressing my gratitude to all the employees at the plant,” Zelensky said Sunday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
He claimed that productivity had increased in the post, which featured pictures of him shaking hands with employees at the plant.
He remarked, “You can really feel that the democratic world can prevail in places like this.”
Washington and New York will be his next stops.
Zelensky warned that the fate of over thirty months of combat, which has claimed thousands of lives, would be determined in the upcoming weeks.
What the present generation of state officials will leave behind is currently being decided. those holding the top positions, he stated.
Before leaving on his trip, Zelensky stated that he had not given up hope despite the fact that the UK and the US had forbidden Ukraine from using its long-range weaponry out of concern for an escalation.
Earlier this week, Zelensky stated, “We have had some decisions in the history of our relationship with Biden—very interesting and difficult dialogues,” and added, “He later changed his point of view.”
Biden would use his remaining time in office to “put Ukraine in the best possible position to prevail,” a close aide to the US president stated last month.
Ukraine’s proposal has not been made public in any detail.
Zelensky stated that Biden will be the first international leader to view the plan “in full,” adding that “all leaders of our partner countries” will also be shown the plan after Biden.
Zelensky intends to deliver the recommendations to Trump, Harris, and the US Congress. Zelensky has stated that he anticipates meeting with Republican Trump on Thursday or Friday. The White House has stated that he will meet with Democratic Vice President Harris separately from Biden.
Trump has harshly criticized Washington for its substantial aid packages to Kyiv, while Harris has stated she will uphold Biden’s policies regarding the country.
Zelensky plans to hold meetings in Kyiv in autumn and expects the entire plan to be ready by early November. The plan includes concrete steps by strategic partners, including strengthening Ukraine’s weapons capabilities and establishing a clear place in the world’s security architecture. Zelensky also plans to invite Russia to a possible peace summit.
Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the UN, said to CNN on Sunday, “I think both are still betting on the possibility of a military victory.”
Six people, including two children, were killed by Russian assaults on Ukraine this past weekend, while 21 more people were injured in a residential neighborhood of Kharkiv.
Ukraine claimed to have targeted two Russian arms depots, and its army claimed to have damaged a crucial location for storing ammunition that was crucial to the Russian army’s invasion preparations.
