Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is in the US this week to sell his American and other allies on his plan to win the war with Russia. The plan includes more weapons, permission to fire Western-made missiles deeper into Russian territory, and strong diplomatic pressure on Russia’s Vladimir Putin to make a deal. His pitch is to President Joe Biden, presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and the US Congress. The US, the largest foreign donor to Ukraine, has already provided about $56 billion. Zelensky will be at the United Nations on Tuesday for a Security Council meeting. On Wednesday, he’ll address the UN General Assembly.
Zelensky arrives at the height of a US election season, but he knows and will make clear in meetings with US officials that Ukraine faces a tough winter. A lack of effective air defenses has allowed Russia to strike power plants and other energy infrastructure targets in recent months, leaving Ukraine’s war-weary people facing daily power outages as the colder months loom. President Biden knows Zelensky needs something he can present to his people as a win for the war effort. Whether Congress will pay for whatever Biden promises is a separate political problem.
