KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelensky He is returning from a visit to the United States where he met with American leaders who will help decide the country’s future, leading Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
The Biden administration has pledged more than $8 billion in continued aid to Ukraine and guaranteed military aid until a new U.S. administration takes office.
But Zelenskiy has previously found himself temporarily mired in domestic politics. Meeting with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in New York.
And the Ukrainian leader’s long-term strategic goals – persuading allies to adopt the winning plan he promotes – remain elusive and out of his control, analysts and officials said. . So is the objective of using a wide range of Western weapons against Russia, the most immediate element of the Zelensky program.
Mr. Zelensky survived partisan politics.
Mr Zelensky Ammunition factory visit In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Republicans are reeling, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an open letter that the trip was part of a partisan move to support Democrats. He has called on Zelenskiy to dismiss him as ambassador to the United States, but this has not happened.
There was talk of canceling the meeting with President Trump, but the two met in New York on Friday. Mr. Zelensky also irritated some Republicans by telling the New Yorker that his Republican vice presidential candidate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, was “too radical.”
Still, Zelensky left both Trump, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden with a vision for victory and promises of more support. This would ensure that Ukraine remains dependent on US aid until a new government takes office.
“As a result of these two meetings, Ukraine was able to publicly demonstrate that it is equally committed to both candidates. Ukraine has no favorites and is committed to open and normal relations with any future government.” We are ready,” said Oleksandr Kulayev, an analyst at the Foreign Policy Council Ukraine Prism.
Long-range weapons still draw the line
But despite Ukraine’s years of lobbying the U.S. to lift its restrictions, the Biden administration’s red line remains long-range weapons for Western weapons to strike deep in Russia. .
Although the United States is concerned about escalation, President Zelensky believes providing Ukraine with such capabilities would be a step toward ending the war, presidential aide Mykhailo Podlyak said.
“The lifting of these unofficial restrictions will undoubtedly be an important indicator that decisive steps have been taken towards ending the war,” Podoljak said. “Of course, this doesn’t mean everything will be over soon. But we want to see light at the end of the tunnel and we want to understand when and how this war will be resolved.”
The Ukrainian leadership is waiting for the next meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Liaison Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The Ukraine Defense Liaison Group is a group of defense leaders from more than 50 partner countries who meet regularly to coordinate arms assistance to the war effort. Ukraine will then see how the group digests the winning plan laid out by President Zelenskiy.
President Zelensky has not presented the plan publicly, but U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on September 17 that she had seen parts of it, saying, “It shows a valid strategy and plan.” said.
Ukraine seeks bipartisan support
Podoljak said Ukraine “succeeded in getting the message across” regarding the resources it needs to maintain its defense in the current and potentially decisive phase of the war.
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Although there were no pledges of support for Ukraine’s vision at the talks, Podlyak said Kiev expected a response to the winning plan would likely come at the October 12 Ramstein talks.
“We will have to wait a little while because our partner countries are currently holding internal consultations,” he said. “You’ll see the results soon.”
Ukrainian lawmakers have been trying to persuade Trump allies for months, two of them said. One lawmaker said attempts to recruit Republicans sympathetic to the Ukraine cause had not yielded a breakthrough. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue freely.
Zelenskiy and his state still have an elusive goal
President Zelensky said that everything Ukraine needs to win the war with Russia is “on the tables of our partners,” indicating that Kiev has no choice but to wait for their decision. .
He made this statement while addressing the nation at the end of his visit to the United States.
“A winning plan was presented to the United States and we explained every point,” he said.
But analysts and lawmakers said Ukraine views both presidential candidates as potentially problematic.
Many are concerned about President Trump’s insistence that the war can be quickly resolved, leading to negotiations on Russia’s terms, possibly involving territorial concessions, and security demands from Western allies. I am concerned that this will lead to abandonment.
Meanwhile, some believe that Ms. Harris will continue Mr. Biden’s foreign policy, which many Ukrainians and outside observers believe is more about a foreign policy than a well-thought-out strategy to defeat Russia. It says it is driven by broader fears of war.
Authorizing Ukraine to use long-range missiles would be one of the key signals that the United States is dedicated to strengthening Kiev’s hand in a long and difficult war.
