Biden Welcomes Zelenskiy to Washington Ahead of Talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the White House on Wednesday as the leaders try to show a unified front against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their summit was Zelenskiy’s first known trip outside his home country since the war began in February.

Biden and first lady Jill Biden greeted Zelenskiy, who wore casual army green attire, as he got out of his vehicle. He shook hands with Biden before they went inside for their Oval Office meeting, followed by a news conference. In the evening, Zelenskiy will address Congress.

“I am in Washington today to thank the American people, the President and the Congress for their much-needed support,” Zelenskiy posted on his official Instagram account after he landed. “And also to continue cooperation to bring our victory closer.” He said the visit would “strengthen resilience and defense capabilities” of Ukraine.

The highly sensitive trip was taking place after 10 months of a brutal war that has seen tens of thousands of casualties on both sides and devastation for Ukrainian civilians. Just before his arrival, the U.S. announced its largest single delivery of arms to Ukraine, including Patriot surface-to-air missiles, and Congress planned to vote on a spending package that includes about $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine.

Zelenskiy headed abroad after making a daring and dangerous trip Tuesday to what he called the hottest spot on the 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) front line of the war, the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s contested Donetsk province. He praised Ukrainian troops for their “courage, resilience and strength” as artillery boomed in the background.

Poland’s private broadcaster, TVN24, said Zelenskiy crossed into Poland early Wednesday on his way to Washington. The station showed footage of what appeared to be Zelenskiy arriving at a train station and being escorted to a motorcade. TVN24 said the video, partially blurred for security reasons, was shot in Przemysl, a Polish border town that has been the arrival point for many refugees fleeing the war.

U.S. officials, citing security concerns, were mum about Zelenskiy’s travel plans, but a U.S. official confirmed that Zelenskiy was transported on a U.S. Air Force jet that landed at Joint Base Andrews, just outside the capital.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the visit “will underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance.”

Zelenskiy was to meet with Biden at the White House in the afternoon and then join Biden for a news conference in the East Room. The address to Congress, which Vice President Kamala Harris will attend, is expected in the evening.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in her invitation to Zelenskiy to speak to lawmakers, said “the fight for Ukraine is the fight for democracy itself” and that they were looking forward to “hearing your inspiring message of unity, resilience and determination.”

U.S. and Ukrainian officials have made clear they do not envision an imminent resolution to the war and are preparing for fighting to continue for some time. The latest infusion of U.S. money would be the biggest yet — and exceed Biden’s $37 billion request.

Biden has repeated that while the U.S. will arm and train Ukraine, American forces will not be directly engaged in the war.

The $1.85 billion U.S. military aid package will include, for the first time, a Patriot missile battery and precision guided bombs for its fighter jets, U.S. officials said. It represents an expansion in the kinds of advanced weaponry intended to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses against what has been an increasing barrage of Russian missiles.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said the delivery of the advanced surface-to-air missile system would be considered a provocative step and that the system and any crews accompanying it would be a legitimate target for Moscow’s military.

The visit comes at an important moment, with the White House bracing for greater resistance when Republicans take control of the House in January and give more scrutiny to aid for Ukraine. GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California has said his party will not write a “blank check” for Ukraine.

Biden and Zelenskiy frequently have talked by phone, with Biden praising Ukraine for remaining steadfast against the Russians and Zelenskiy thanking the U.S. president for support.

The one exception to those warm calls came in June, soon after Biden notified Zelenskiy that an additional $1 billion package was headed to Ukraine. Zelenskiy didn’t miss a beat in ticking off the additional assistance he said Ukraine needed.

That irked Biden, who underscored to Zelenskiy the American people’s generosity. But the brief moment of tension hasn’t caused any lasting difficulty, according to officials familiar with the episode who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

Russia’s invasion, which began Feb. 24, has lost momentum. The illegally annexed provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia remain fiercely contested.

With the fighting in the east at a stalemate, Moscow has used missiles and drones to attack Ukraine’s power equipment, hoping to leave people without electricity as freezing weather sets in.

Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta Center think tank, said Zelensky’s visit to the U.S. “should determine the course of the war — Zelensky for the first time dared to leave Ukraine and is counting on being able to maintain, and possibly even strengthen, U.S. military and economic assistance.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday told his country’s military leaders that Russia will achieve its stated goals in Ukraine and use the combat experience to strengthen its military. His defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, said Russia’s military must be expanded from the current 1 million to 1.5 million amid the fighting in Ukraine.