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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with President Joe Biden at the White House in the midst of his crucial diplomatic push, thanking the U.S. leader for helping Kyiv to fight “Russian terror,” while Biden told his counterpart that he will “ensure that the world stands” with Ukraine and that the first of the sophisticated U.S. Abrams tanks are on the way.
The White House meeting capped a whirlwind of activity for Zelenskiy, who spoke to the United Nations the previous two days and spent September 21 meeting with U.S. congressional leaders and military chiefs before joining Biden in the Oval Office.
Biden praised the “enormous bravery” of the Ukrainian people in their fight against the Russian invasion and said that “the American people are determined to see to it that we do all we can to ensure the world stands with you.”
“We’re supporting a just and lasting peace, one that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Biden said.
Biden said Russia “was standing in the way” of peace in the region and that Moscow is hoping to use the impending winter as a “weapon” against the Ukrainian people.
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Zelenskiy told Biden that Ukrainians “greatly appreciate the assistance provided by the United States to combat Russian terror.”
He said Washington’s aid will help boost Ukraine’s defense capabilities during the winter.
The White House said the United States will provide Ukraine with “significant [new] air-defense capability” but that it won’t provide Kyiv the desired long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) at this time.
“President Biden will announce a new package of military assistance today, including significant air-defense capabilities to help Ukraine,” national-security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
Sullivan said Biden had rejected, for now at least, a request for the ATACMS missiles, which have a range of 300 kilometers.
After their meeting, Biden said that the first of the powerful M1 Abrams tanks promised for Kyiv will be arriving in Ukraine next week.
Zelenskiy earlier met privately with leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives, seeking to shore up support with some reluctant politicians — mainly Republicans — for his country’s fight against the Russian invasion.
Republican leaders, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, declined to greet Zelenskiy on camera, although Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries did and escorted the Ukrainian president to the Capitol building.
Senator Chris Murphy (Democrat-Connecticut) wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Zelenskiy had received “two standing ovations so far” during a closed-door meeting with the full Senate.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Ukrainian leader told senators that further military aid was crucial to Kyiv’s effort to survive the Russian invasion.
“If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war,” he quoted Zelenskiy as saying.
Zelenskiy told reporters following the meeting with the Democrat-controlled Senate that “we had a great dialogue.”
“We’re thankful to you, the journalists, the senators for helping us, supporting us,” Zelenskiy added.
The 45-year-old Ukrainian leader arrived in the U.S. capital hours after Russia launched its biggest attack on Ukraine in weeks, hitting several regions — including the cities of Kyiv and Lviv — knocking out critical energy infrastructure with its missiles and drones.
“Last night, Russian terrorists launched another massive attack. In particular, on infrastructure. Most of the missiles were shot down. But only most of them. Not all of them,” Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app.
“More air defense. More sanctions. More support for Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines,” he added.
Zelenskiy’s meetings come on the heels of statements from Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hinting that Warsaw was “already no longer supplying arms to Ukraine.”
Live Briefing: Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL’s Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv’s counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL’s coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
Morawiecki prompted confusion late on September 20 when he said in response to a Polsat News interviewer’s question about a budding diplomatic dispute over Ukrainian grain exports that NATO member Poland, which has been among Kyiv’s staunchest allies in the war, was instead “equipping ourselves with the most modern weapons.”
The Polish government had already summoned Kyiv’s ambassador to register its “strong protest” after Zelenskiy used a UN speech during his current U.S. diplomatic swing to suggest some allies were only pretending to arm and back his country.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski reportedly said Zelenskiy’s comments “alleging that some EU countries feigned solidarity while indirectly supporting Russia” were an “inappropriate” way to resolve disputes.
Along with Hungary and Slovakia, Poland last week announced restrictions on grain imports after the European Commission declined to extend a ban on such goods amid a flood of Ukrainian food exports as Russia blockades Ukrainian ports.
It was unclear whether Morawiecki’s threatened cutoff of weapons supplies to Ukraine over the grain dispute was official policy.
Polish President Andrzej Duda attempted on September 21 to ease any tensions, saying Morawiecki’s comments had been taken incorrectly.
“In my opinion, the prime minister meant we won’t be transferring to Ukraine the new weaponry that we’re currently buying as we modernize the Polish Army. As we receive new weaponry from the U.S. and South Korea, we will be releasing the weaponry currently used by the Polish Army. Perhaps we will transfer it to Ukraine,” Duda said.
Nevertheless, the timing is awkward for Zelenskiy and the Ukrainians.
Zelenskiy on September 19 delivered his first in-person speech to the UN General Assembly since the invasion began and the next day appeared before the UN Security Council lamenting “criminal” Russia’s veto-wielding seat on the council.
His statements are part of an extended U.S. visit that could prove crucial in Kyiv’s ongoing efforts to rally international support for its defense against its much larger post-Soviet neighbor.
He also needs to convince U.S. Republicans like McCarthy to push through a new multibillion-dollar aid package for Kyiv that is at risk of being blocked.
After Zelenskiy’s meeting with the House, McCarthy said his presentation was “direct, it was honest, they answered some of the questions [we had]. I heard a lot of positive things.”
The White House has noted that the visit comes at a “really crucial time” given Ukraine is in the midst of a fierce counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Back in Ukraine, officials said early on September 21 that air-raid alerts sounded across the country at around 4 a.m. local time as a wave of early morning Russian missile and drone attacks targeted a number of cities.
Hours later, Ukraine’s power-grid operator reported electricity cuts in five regions of the country, saying the Russian attacks had damaged infrastructure.
Casualties were reported in population centers including the capital, Kyiv, and Cherkasy and Kherson.
Massive Russian Missile Strike Targets Six Cities Across Ukraine
At least two people have been reported killed with scores wounded in the largest missile strikes across Ukraine in weeks, damaging energy facilities and causing power cuts.
Kyiv’s local military administration said it had shot down more than 20 airborne targets and that debris from several missiles had fallen on the city.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said seven people suffered injuries in the Darnytsya neighborhood, but none was life-threatening.
Ten people were injured by fragments from a Russian rocket in the central Ukrainian city of Cherkasy, the Interior Ministry said.
Two people were killed and five more injured when Russian forces struck a dormitory building in Kherson, a southern city that lies on the Dnieper River near the Black Sea, local officials there said.
Ukraine said on September 21 that its forces had hit Russia’s Saky air base in Crimea, although Moscow-installed officials denied the claim.
A Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters that the attack “hit the target and caused serious damage” to equipment at the site.
Ukraine said in 2022 that it carried out a strike on the air base on August 9 of that year. That strike destroyed at least nine military aircraft, including Su-30SM fighters and Su-24M bombers.
The Russian-appointed head of Crimea said at the time that one person was killed. Several buildings at the base that may have housed ammunitions were also destroyed.
Earlier on September 21, Russia said it shot down 19 drones in Crimea in what appeared to be another barrage of airborne attacks on the Russian-occupied peninsula.
The Russian Defense Ministry said explosions rang out in some areas overnight as unmanned drones attacked in the northern, western, and central parts of Crimea. It did not report any casualties.
Ukrainian forces have appeared to step up their drone and missile strikes in recent months in annexed Crimea, which also hosts Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet.
RFE/RL cannot independently confirm claims by either side in areas of heavy fighting.
With reporting by dpa, PAP, Reuters, and The Washington Post
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