WASHINGTON — President Biden and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine presented a united front against Russia’s Vladimir V. Putin on Wednesday, even as Mr. Zelensky warned that his country was digging into a long, cold winter of war and had little hope of recovery. safety. a just peace with the “terrorists” who mistreat his people.
“The longer the war lasts, the longer this aggression lasts, there will be more parents who live for vengeance or vengeance,” said Mr. Zelensky, hours after leaving the front lines, standing next to Mr. Biden on a podium. from his country’s war on a whirlwind diplomatic mission to Ukraine’s most powerful ally.
“So there can be no just peace in the war that has been imposed on us,” he said, speaking in faltering English instead of using a translator.
Mr. Zelensky arrived at the White House on Wednesday to show solidarity and to make a plea for even greater economic and military support. The two men met behind closed doors for more than two hours before facing reporters to reaffirm their determination to defend Ukraine from Russian forces, which invaded in February.
Standing side by side in the East Room with the Ukrainian flag next to gleaming Christmas decorations, Mr Biden and Mr Zelensky – in his wartime uniform of an olive green sweater and cargo pants – both vowed to continue fighting the Russian invasion to to put an end to Mr Putin’s unwarranted aggression.
“The American people know that if we stand by and watch such blatant attacks on freedom and democracy, and the core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the world would surely face worse consequences,” Biden said.
“The American people have stood by you every step of the way,” Mr Biden told Mr Zelensky. And we’ll stay with you. We will stay with you as long as it is necessary.”
But both leaders sounded grim about the prospects of an early end to the conflict. Mr Biden said it was critical to “stand together until 2023”, signaling another year of war in the heart of Europe. Mr. Zelensky gave a blunt assessment of the coming months: “We have to survive this winter,” he said. “We have to protect our people.”
Zelensky’s visit to Washington – kept secret until the eve of his arrival for security reasons – was a dramatic vote of confidence from Ukraine’s leader, who had not left his country since Putin launched his attack 300 days ago.
In the space of 24 hours, just days before Christmas, Mr. Zelensky flew from the battered front lines of a country shrouded in darkness by Russian air raids to the marble-lined rooms of the White House, where he repeatedly thanked the Americans for their presence. “true partner” of Ukraine in its struggle for survival.
The one-day trip to Washington was meant to be a thank-you, victory lap, and sales pitch all in one. Following the meeting with Mr. Biden, Mr. Zelensky was scheduled to address a joint session of Congress where he was expected to say that his country could not survive without billions of dollars in advanced US war equipment.
Mr. Zelensky certainly gets some, but not all, of what he wants before he goes home, barely 10 hours after arriving in Washington.
Congress is just days away from approving nearly $50 billion in additional security and economic aid for Ukraine. Biden on Wednesday announced the delivery of a Patriot missile battery to help Ukraine defend against airborne attacks, but the government is still declining longer-range weapons that could strike deep into Russia and potentially put the United States in direct conflict with Mr Biden. Putin and his army.
Mr. Zelensky’s outstretched hand has at times puzzled some of Biden’s administration officials over the past year. Wednesday’s appearance at the White House offered a glimpse into the transactional nature of the two men’s relationship as Mr Zelensky acknowledged what he would do after receiving a Patriot missile battery from the United States to help defend Ukraine from airstrikes.
“After that, we will send another signal to President Biden that we would like more patriots,” he said.
The aside underlined both the human dynamic between the two men and Mr Biden’s fears that providing too much military aid too quickly could spark a wider conflict with Russia and the West that would have even more dangerous consequences.
Later, when a reporter from Ukraine asked Mr Biden why he didn’t just give Mr Zelensky all the guns he wanted, Mr Biden joked, “His answer is yes,” pointing to the Ukrainian president.
“I agree!” Mr. Zelensky responded quickly, causing the audience to laugh.
The visit to the White House comes as both sides brace themselves for months of sustained fighting. In Russia, officials warned that deliveries of new US weapons would lead “to an exacerbation of the conflict,” and Putin vowed his government would provide “everything the military asks for — anything” in its quest for conquest.
“President Zelensky’s visit here is at least in part, perhaps primarily, designed to bolster that support and rekindle enthusiasm for Ukraine’s success,” said William B. Taylor Jr., who Served as Ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009. will be necessary for the Ukrainians to prevent a Russian offensive.”
“The timing is perfect,” he said.
For Mr. Biden, the highly orchestrated visit is an opportunity to remind Americans why he has committed the US Treasury – but not his soldiers – to defending the borders of a country a continent away. He says it is crucial to stand up for the rights of sovereign nations when international law is violated.
That decision has not come without sacrifice and political cost for Mr. Biden, who rightly predicted before the outbreak of war that Americans would suffer economic consequences as the effects of Europe’s first war in decades rippled around the world. Gas and food prices rose, sending inflation soaring in the United States and elsewhere.
Now, after rallying dozens of countries to oppose the Russian invasion, Biden has to keep that coalition together longer than anyone in the White House imagined at the start of the war. And he faces a concerted effort by Mr Putin to break the alliance by limiting energy resources and attacking civilian areas in Ukraine.
“Perhaps the most important part of this visit is countering Putin’s belief that time is on his side in the war,” said Richard Haass, chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations. “Putin cannot win on the battlefield, so he tries to break the will of the Ukrainian people by his attacks on civilian areas, and he tries to break the will of Europe by denying energy.”
Prior to their meeting on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky presented Mr Biden with a Military Merit Cross, an award he said was presented to him by a soldier at the frontline in Ukraine. The soldier, a captain, said Mr. Zelensky should give it to the “very brave president” who had saved many lives in their country.
“Undeserved, but much appreciated,” Mr Biden replied in a moment that underlined how the two leaders are intertwined in the ongoing conflict.
But Mr. Biden and Mr. Zelensky must continue to build support among American voters and lawmakers, some of whom are beginning to question the wisdom of an open-ended conflict that shows no signs of ending.
There remains broad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for financial aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the majority of Republicans have backed the aid. However, some in the party have called for greater scrutiny of the money sent to Ukraine and others have questioned how much the country really needs.
Some Republican legislators in Congress have indicated they will vote later this week against a $1.7 trillion bill in government spending, including the money for Ukraine. And Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader in the House, recently told reporters, “I’m not for a blank check on anything. This is hardworking tax money. And I want to make sure that all the money we spend goes to the right place.”
There is also evidence that Americans on both sides are growing weary of the ongoing conflict. Some Democrats have heard from voters questioning routine aid injections and are urging Biden administration officials to say how they think the conflict will end — and when.
Mr. Zelensky will have an opportunity to address those concerns during his address to Congress on Wednesday night. New York Senator Chuck Schumer, the Majority Leader, said Mr. Zelensky’s appearance would be “a day to remember in the history of the US Congress.” Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, called Mr. Zelensky “an inspirational leader.”
During his remarks, Mr. Zelensky the chance to portray the war gripping his country in stark terms that he hopes will transcend domestic American politics. Aides to the Ukrainian president said he would speak about the US role in strengthening his country’s resilience and defense.
“I think what Zelensky can do in his speech is to show that Ukraine is essentially fighting for our interests and our values,” Mr Haass said, adding that the Ukrainian president “has an opportunity to have a greater bond with the American people. in support of Ukraine. It just hasn’t gained much traction.”
Mr. Zelensky last spoke to members of Congress via video link in March, when he urged military aid and called the defense of Ukraine a struggle for democracy itself. He spoke mainly in Ukrainian and wore his trademark military T-shirt, telling US lawmakers they had a moral obligation to help.
“I call on you to do more,” he said, referring to Pearl Harbor and the September 11 attacks, before arguing for a no-fly zone, more weapons and for the United States to impose sanctions.
“Is this a lot to ask to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine, to save people? Is this too much to ask?” he said at the time.
Reporting contributed by Emily Cochrane in Washington, Anton Trojanovsky in Berlin and Andrew E. Kramer in Kyiv.