Ukraine war: Zelensky to present ‘victory plan’ to Biden, Harris and Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to present what he has called his “plan for victory” to President Joe Biden during a visit to the US this week.

After meeting Biden, Zelensky said he intended to present it to Congress and the two candidates in the US election – Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.

Trump has previously criticised US support for Ukraine and spoken highly of Russian President Vladimir Putin but said he will “probably” meet Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president’s visit to the US – where he is also due to attend the UN General Assembly – coincides with efforts from the White House to prepare a new $375m military aid package for Ukraine.

“This fall will determine the future of this war,” Zelensky said in a post on X alongside his nightly video address, which he delivered from his plane.

In a statement ahead of the visit, the Ukrainian leader previewed three elements to this victory plan.

He listed further weapons donations for the military, diplomatic efforts to force Russia into peace, and to hold Moscow accountable for the full-scale invasion of his country in 2022.

Ukraine has been pleading for months for the US, UK and other Western allies to ease restrictions on the use of long-range missiles so it can strike targets in Russia which Kyiv says are used to launch attacks.

Earlier in September, Putin warned Western countries that he would consider long-range missile strikes as “direct participation” by the Nato military alliance in the war.

When asked by reporters on Sunday whether he had made a decision on allowing Ukraine to use US-made long-range weapons, President Biden answered “no”.

Trump has previously flagged his own plan to end the war “within 24 hours” if he is elected in November, but has provided no details other than to label US support for Ukraine as a waste of money.

According to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who met Trump in March, the former president said he would “not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end”.

Zelensky’s statement also voiced gratitude for the support from Ukraine’s allies thus far, singling out the US in particular as its “leading supporter”.

The US has been the largest foreign donor to Ukraine, and to date has provided $56bn (£42m) for Ukraine’s defence.

“I thank every nation and every leader who has felt that this war, Russia’s war against Ukraine, is about much more than just the fate of our Ukrainian people,” he said.

Following his Washington visit Zelensky is expected to head to New York and the United Nations where he is expected to attend a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday and give a speech at the General Assembly on Wednesday.