Zelensky Visits White House with 'Victory Plan'; Biden: Ukraine Will Prevail

The President of Ukraine, who has recently spoken about a 'victory plan' to force Russia to come to the negotiating table, met with the President of the United States at the White House. This meeting took place on Thursday, October 5, and Joe Biden reiterated that Russia will not prevail in its invasion of Ukraine, telling Volodymyr Zelensky, 'We will stand by you at every stage.' Shortly before this meeting, the U.S. President announced nearly eight billion dollars in additional military aid to Ukraine for 'victory in this war.' The Ukrainian President also expressed deep gratitude to the United States and Washington's support for Kyiv during the meeting with Biden. According to Reuters, Mr. Zelensky discussed the details of the 'victory plan' and once again urged Washington to lift restrictions on Kyiv's use of Western long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. In recent weeks, the Ukrainian President has been advocating for the 'victory plan' to strengthen Kyiv militarily and compel Russia to negotiate. He had previously told the Observer before his trip to the U.S. that the realization of the 'victory plan' requires deep strikes with Western missiles into Russia, and London and Washington should grant Kyiv permission to use them. Britain has recently expressed its willingness to change its previous policy and the possibility of issuing a permit for the use of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Kyiv; however, the United States insists that its policy on this matter has not changed. During the meeting with Zelensky, Joe Biden also announced the extension of training for Ukrainian pilots in the U.S. next year, stating that 18 F-16 pilots would also be added to this program. Mr. Biden also mentioned, without providing details, that Washington, along with its partners, is taking steps to counter Russia's use of cryptocurrencies for money laundering and evading sanctions. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his gratitude on social media after the meeting, thanking Joe Biden, the U.S. Congress, both parties, Republicans and Democrats, and the American people for the announced assistance. The meeting between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents took place one day after Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, reiterated his previous threat, stating that any attack by a country on Russia with conventional weapons, if aided by a nuclear power, would be considered a joint attack. On the same day, Volodymyr Zelensky also met and discussed with Kamala Harris, the Vice President and Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidential election. According to Reuters, Ms. Harris emphasized her commitment to supporting Ukraine, stating, 'As I have made clear in my six previous meetings and throughout Putin's brutal invasion and war against Ukraine, my support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering.' The U.S. Vice President also criticized some officials' statements regarding the ceding of parts of Ukraine to Russia, saying, 'These are Putin's proposals and are not for peace; they are proposals for surrender that are dangerous and unacceptable.' Previously, Donald Trump, Harris's Republican rival, criticized Zelensky as 'the greatest salesman on earth' and accused him of refusing 'to negotiate with Moscow.' Mr. Trump also praised Russia's military capabilities a few days ago, stating, 'They defeated Hitler, they defeated Napoleon - that's what they do, they fight.' The U.S. has stated that Ukraine's plan to force Russia to end the war is 'feasible.' On the other hand, Zelensky's visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania, one of the crucial states in the U.S. presidential election, has faced a wave of criticism from Republicans, who have referred to it as a Democratic campaign advertisement. Among them, Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, stated that this visit was designed to 'help the Democrats' and said, 'This action is equivalent to interfering in the elections.' He also called for the dismissal of the Ukrainian ambassador in Washington for arranging this visit and assisting in its execution. The House Oversight Committee, controlled by Republicans, also announced that it would investigate whether Zelensky's trip was an attempt to use a foreign leader to benefit Kamala Harris's campaign. According to plans, Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with Donald Trump on Friday.