KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelensky is back home leading Ukraine’s fight against Russia after a trip to the U.S. that brought him face to face with the American leaders who will help decide his country’s future.
The Biden administration has pledged more than $8 billion in ongoing support to Ukraine, guaranteeing military aid until a new U.S. administration takes power.
But Zelenskyy briefly became embroiled in domestic politics before meeting Trump in New York.
And the Ukrainian leader’s longer-term strategic goal — convincing his allies to adopt a victory plan he promotes — remains elusive and beyond his control, analysts and officials say. That includes the goal of using far-reaching Western weapons against Russia, the most immediate part of Zelenskyy’s plan.
Zelenskiy navigated party politics
Zelenskyy’s visit to a munitions factory in the swing state of Pennsylvania upset Republicans and House Speaker Mike Johnson fired off an open letter saying the visit was part of a partisan campaign to support Democrats . He demanded that Zelensky fire his ambassador to the US, which did not happen.
There was talk of a meeting with Republican candidate Donald Trump, but the two men met in New York on Friday. Zelenskyy also irritated some Republicans when he told The New Yorker that Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, is “too radical.”
Still, Zelenskyy presented his vision of victory to both Trump, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, and walked away with more aid, which will guarantee that Ukraine will be able to count on US aid until the new administration comes to power.
“The result of these two meetings was that Ukraine publicly showed that it deals with both candidates on an equal footing. Ukraine has no favorites and is ready for open, normal relations with any future government,” said Oleksandr Kraiev, analyst at the Foreign Policy Council Ukraine Prism.
Long-range weapons are still a red line
But the Biden administration’s red line remains Western long-range weapons that must strike deep into Russia, even though Ukraine has long lobbied for the US to drop that limit.
The US fears escalation, but Zelensky thinks providing such capabilities to Ukraine would be a step toward ending the war, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said.
“The lifting of these informal restrictions will undoubtedly serve as an important indicator that decisive steps toward ending the war have been taken,” Podolyak said. “Of course this won’t lead to an immediate end to everything. But we want to see the light at the end of the tunnel and we want to understand how and when this war will be resolved.”
The Ukrainian leadership is awaiting the next meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany – defense leaders from more than 50 partner countries who meet regularly to coordinate arms assistance for the war. There, Ukraine will see how the group has digested a victory plan presented by Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy has not publicly presented that plan, but U.S. UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on September 17 that she had seen parts of it and that “it outlines a strategy and a plan that can work.”
Ukraine is seeking bipartisan support
Podolyak said Ukraine has “succeeded in getting the message across” regarding the resources needed to support its defense in the current and potentially decisive phase of the war.
No public commitments were made at the meetings to support Ukraine’s vision, but Podolyak said Kiev expected a response to the victory plan would likely come at the Oct. 12 meeting in Ramstein.
“We just have to wait a while as our partner countries are now having internal discussions,” he said. “We’ll see the results soon enough.”
Ukrainian lawmakers have been trying to win over Trump-affiliated officials for months, two of them said. One lawmaker said efforts to recruit Republicans sympathetic to Ukraine’s cause have failed to make any breakthroughs. He spoke on condition of anonymity so he could speak freely about sensitive matters.
Zelenskyy and his nation still have elusive goals
Zelenskyy said everything Ukraine needs to win the war with Russia “is on the partner’s table” – an indication that Kiev has no choice but to wait for their decision.
He made this statement while addressing the nation at the end of his trip to the US
“The victory plan has been presented to America and we have explained every point,” he said.
But analysts and lawmakers said Ukraine views both presidential candidates as potentially problematic.
Many are concerned about Trump’s claims that the war can be resolved quickly, fearing it could mean negotiating on Russian terms, potentially involving territorial concessions and abandoning security guarantees from Western allies.
Meanwhile, others said they believe Harris would continue Biden’s foreign policy, which many Ukrainians and outside observers say is driven mainly by fears of a broader war rather than a well-thought-out strategy to defeat Russia.
Allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles would be a crucial signal that the US is committed to strengthening Kiev’s hand in the long and difficult war.
“Biden is too cautious to give this authorization before the election,” said another lawmaker on the foreign policy committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity to openly discuss sensitive matters. “But once the elections are over, he could give this permission,” he said, echoing the hopes of many Ukrainian officials.
