Zelensky visits the White House amid growing partisan divisions over the Ukraine conflict
According to the US news agency AP, President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Washington on September 26, in the context of US support for Ukraine facing challenges in this year's US presidential election.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has pledged to continue sending military aid to Ukraine if she is elected, and she will have a private meeting with Mr. Zelensky after the Ukrainian leader meets with President Joe Biden.
However, the tumultuous relationship between Mr. Zelensky and former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, continued to deteriorate this week. Instead of meeting with Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Trump criticized his opponent. Regarding US support for Ukraine, Mr. Trump complained that "we continue to give billions of dollars to a guy who won't make a deal" to end the war.
This is the most complex political landscape Mr. Zelensky has faced in Washington sinceconflict with Russiabroke out nearly three years ago. Ukrainian officials are worried about maintaining good relations with the next US president, the country that is Ukraine’s biggest and most important supplier of weapons, money and assistance.
But the effort risks falling into the political maelstrom of the election, polarizing the discussion of a war that has been a bipartisan issue in Washington.
The latest controversy began on September 22, when The New Yorker published an interview with Mr. Zelensky in which he criticized Mr. Trump's running mate, JD Vance, as "too extreme" for arguing that Ukraine needed to give up some territory to end the war. Mr. Zelensky also dismissed Mr. Trump's claims that he could quickly negotiate a solution, saying, "I have the feeling that Mr. Trump doesn't really know how to end the war, even if he thinks he does."
On the same day, Mr. Zelensky visited a Pennsylvania ammunition factory that produces weapons for the war. He was accompanied by Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, a key Harris supporter, and Republicans criticized the visit as a political stunt in a key battleground state.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has called on Mr Zelensky to fire Ukraine's ambassador to the US, alleging that the visit was "set up to help Democrats and clearly interfere in the election."
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, will not meet with Zelensky on September 26 as he has meetings in Congress before heading to the White House. However, Zelensky is expected to speak with several members of the House, including Republican committee chairs. He is also scheduled to meet with senators in a bipartisan session chaired by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Zelensky's visit to Washington coincides with the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the Ukrainian leader spoke on September 25. Last week, Trump said he "may" meet with Zelensky while he is in the United States, but a senior Trump campaign official said no meeting was ever scheduled.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, said Mr. Trump told Mr. Zelensky in July that it might be better not to sit down together until after the election. An aide to Mr. Zelensky did not respond to questions about the potential meeting.
Mr Trump was impeached during his first term for asking Mr Zelensky to help investigate Mr Biden, then the Democratic presidential candidate, when the Ukrainian leader was seeking favours from Washington.
There are now concerns that Mr Trump could cut off or put conditions on US military support if he returns to the White House.
