One year, three months and 20 days after his last visit to the White House, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the American people for their robust support of his nation’s defence as he returned to Washington for a lightning-round of meetings with President Joe Biden and top national security officials, plus an address to a joint meeting of Congress on the day it is set to approve approximately $40bn in additional military aid.
Mr Zelensky arrived at the White House at 2.04 pm ET in an armoured SUV after a brief stop at Blair House, the official guest house for visiting foreign leaders, and just hours after he landed at what US officials would only describe as an air base near the nation’s capital.
The Ukrainian leader, dressed in cargo pants and the miltary-style jacket that has become his signature outfit during months of war, was greeted by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, who quickly escorted him through the executive mansion’s diplomatic entrance.
Mr Zelensky’s arrival in the US marked the first moment since Russia invaded his country 300 days ago that the ground under his feet was foreign soil. His last sojourn outside his nation’s borders came on 19 February, when just five days before Russian troops crossed into Ukraine with the aim of toppling his government and installing a pro-Moscow puppet regime, he spoke at the Munich Security Conference to remind western leaders of the cost of appeasement.
At the time, he vowed that Ukraine would defend itself “with or without the support of partners” and described defence aid to his country as a “contribution to the security of Europe and the world” because Ukraine had been acting as “a reliable shield” that had been “rebuffing one of the world's biggest armies” during the eight years since Russia illegally annexed Crimea.
Now, after nine months of leading his country through what has become the largest war in Europe since 1945, Mr Zelensky is meeting with Mr Biden and his senior aides to discuss what his country needs to continue the fight against Moscow’s invading forces.
He and Mr Biden will also speak at a joint press conference at 4.30 pm ET, and Mr Zelensky will later travel to the Capitol to address the US Congress, which will have just passed an omnibus appropriations bill which Mr Biden and Congressional leaders hope will provide sufficient funding for Ukraine’s defence through the end of the US fiscal year in October.
During the short portion of their meeting that was open to reporters, Mr Biden announced on Wednesday a separate billion-dollar aid package for Ukraine which will include Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, and said the US “stands with the brave people of Ukraine” and with Mr Zelensky, who he called “a great leader”. The president also congratulated Mr Zelensky on his selection as TimeMagazine’s person of the year.
“You are the man of the year in the United States of America, so welcome,” he said before turning over the floor to Mr Zelensky, who took the opportunity to thank Mr Biden, the US Congress, and the “ordinary people” of America for the support of his country.
Mr Zelensky also presented the American president with a medal, the Cross for Military Merit, which he said was a gift from a Ukrainian soldier named Pavel.
He said the soldier, a captain in the Ukrainian Army who serves as commander of a HIMARS rocket battery, and who Mr Zelensky described as “very brave,” told him to “give it to a very brave president”.
Mr Zelensky’s visit coincides with the approval of the latest package of military aid by Congress, which will bring the total US defence assistance since the invasion to over $100bn since the war began. Thus far, military and other assistance to Kyiv has remained a rare area of continued bipartisanship in Washington, where leaders of both parties remain firmly behind efforts to show support both rhetorically and tangibly for Ukraine and its resilient but severely tested military.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed as much on Tuesday, though some Republican backbenchers in the House have begun loudly protesting the bipartisan consensus, backed by figures in Trumpworld.
"Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now according to most Republicans," said the GOP Senate leader. "That's how we see the challenges confronting the country at the moment."
Lawmakers are preparing to pass an omnibus spending bill valued at $1.7 trillion that includes $45bn in “emergency” assistance to Ukraine, where the war against Russian invaders is predicted to turn especially brutal over the winter months. Mr Zelensky is expected to ask for more aid during his remarks to Congress today, both regarding short-term assistance as well as continued support for his country over the coming months.
A former actor and stand-up comedian, Mr Zelensky has become the face of his nation’s plight in western media since the war began, frequently appearing for televised interviews and delivering impassioned remarks in other video appearances.
While the meeting in Washington is Mr Zelensky’s first foreign trip since the invasion began, it will not be his first in-person meeting with a foreign leader since the war expanded. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited with Mr Zelensky in Kyiv last month, and then-prime minster Boris Johnson also made the trip to Ukraine’s capital in August,to mark the country’s independence day with a show of support for its leader.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to reporters about the significance of his visit on Tuesday evening, and praised the Ukrainian leader as a “total hero” who “would bring honor to Congress” with his visit.
