President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will confer next week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he pushes for a go-ahead to utilize US military aid to hit targets deeper inside Russia.
The Sept. 26 visit will be Zelensky’s fifth trip to the US since Russia invaded in February 2022.
“I’m looking forward to hosting my friend President Zelensky of Ukraine next week at the White House,” Biden, 81, wrote on X.
During his meeting with Biden, Zelensky will unveil a “Plan for Victory” and discuss US support for Kyiv, according to his office.
Separately, Zelensky will meet with Harris to discuss the state of the conflict. Harris and Zelensky previously met over the summer at the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland.
“The President and Vice President will emphasize their unshakeable commitment to stand with Ukraine until it prevails in this war,” the White House previewed.
Zelensky also has plans to visit with former President Donald Trump and members of Congress from both parties during his visit to the US, per his office.
The Ukrainian president will also address the United Nations General Assembly during its 79th session that starts on Sept. 24 in midtown Manhattan.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has embarked on an incursion into Kursk, a city in western Russia, shocking Moscow by managing to cut miles into its territory.
US officials voiced caution about the advance, fearful that the attack could further provoke Russia’s wrath.
The Ukrainian president has also begun to raise concerns about shortcomings in promised air defenses. Congress is in the midst of a spending feud after having previously replenished aid to Ukraine in April.
Zelensky’s trip to the US will take place fewer than six weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
Trump, who spoke with Zelensky on the phone back in July, has publicly suggested he would move to end the war within 24 hours by pushing for a deal between Ukraine and Russia — without providing specifics.
“I don’t know the details of what he means,” Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview that aired over the weekend. “So, my position [is] that [it is a] election period, and the election messages are election messages.”
The 45th president has also, at times, railed against the price tag of US military aid being shipped to assist the Kyiv government.
