Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the US this week and present President Joe Biden with a “plan for victory” in his war with Russia.
He will also be expected to push for pressure on the US and its allies to let Ukraine fire the missiles they supplied deep inside Russian territory for the first time in the war.
Zelensky will visit the US at the same time as efforts from the White House to prepare a new $375m (£283m) military aid package for Ukraine.
This fall will determine the future of this war,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Before a visit to Washington, the Ukrainian leader previewed three elements of his plan:
- More weapons donations.
- Diplomatic efforts to force Russia to agree to peace.
- Accountability toward Moscow for a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine has been begging the US, UK, and other Western allies for months to lift bans on the deployment of long-range missiles so that it can attack targets inside Russia used by Kyiv to launch attacks.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said strikes with long-range missiles would be considered “direct participation” by the NATO military alliance in the war.
When reporters asked him on Sunday whether he had decided to let Ukraine use US-made long-range weapons, Biden responded: “No.”
What arms are the UK and others pledging to Ukraine?
Trump has criticized US support for Ukraine in the past and has spoken glowingly of Putin but said he’d “probably” meet Zelensky.
The former president had earlier proposed to end the war “within 24 hours” if he was to be elected for a second term in November without explanation.
US President Donald Trump has reportedly promised Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom he met in March, that “he will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end”.
Zelensky also thanked Ukraine’s allies, especially the US, which he claimed is his “leading supporter.”
