Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting the White House today, where he’s expected to press Biden hard on allowing Ukraine forces to strike Russia using West-supplied long-range weapons.

Some European leaders have growing more vocal on this point, with Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen being the latest to say in a fresh Bloomberg interview, “It would be really good to stop the delays. And I think that the restrictions on the use of weapons should be lifted.”

Britain and France say they are waiting on the United States to give formal approval for long-range strikes on Russia. But President Putin’s Wednesday comments lowering the threshold for Russia using nuclear weapons are surely being weighed. 

Illustrative: prior 2023 Zelensky visit to the Oval Office.

Putin had laid out the changes, according to a translation, as follows: “The updated version of the document proposes that aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear-weapon state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear-weapon state, should be considered as a joint attack on the Russian Federation.”

But Zelensky in a Monday interview with ABC, which kicked off his week-long US tour, expressed hope for a change in US policy on the question of long-range strikes:

Zelenskyy said he believed Britain, France, Germany and Italy were ready to allow the strikes but that the decision needed to come from the U.S.

“The main role is in the United States, in the president of United States, Biden. Everybody’s looking up to him, and — we need this to defend ourselves,” said Zelenskyy.

NATO leadership considers that it is a decision impacting the whole alliance, given this certainly puts it more closely on a direct collision course with nuclear-armed Russia.

To start the morning, and just ahead of Zelensky’s White House visit, the Biden administration announced massive new defense aid to Ukraine, at an estimated $8 billion – much of that drawn from military stockpiles as part of an approved program the Pentagon said was at risk of expiring on Sept.30. This is expected to include transfer of an additional Patriot air defense battery to Ukraine.

Zelensky with McConnell and Schumer on Capitol Hill today.

You know what that means 💰 pic.twitter.com/ssE1DyzBPj

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 26, 2024

“I am proud to welcome President Zelenskyy back to the White House today. For nearly three years, the United States has rallied the world to stand with the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom from Russian aggression, and it has been a top priority of my Administration to provide Ukraine with the support it needs to prevail,” Biden said in a statement.

Zelensky is presenting his ‘victory plan’ to Biden (and later to VP Harris). In the event Biden does not approve long-range strikes on Russian territory, it could be that the newly released $8 billion is being presented as a consolation prize of sorts for Kiev. 

Trump meanwhile called out the Ukrainian president as “probably the greatest salesman on Earth.“ He said at a Wednesday rally: “We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelensky.”

The spat with Republicans has exploded out in the open this week, amid Congressional GOP accusations that Zelensky has essentially been stumping for Harris in battleground states (given the US-taxpayer funded tour of the Pennsylvania ammo plant, and attacks on J.D. Vance). Trump went gloves-off in response at a Wednesday event:

‘Greatest Salesman on Earth’: Trump Calls Out Zelensky at North Carolina Rally#Trump #Zelensky #NorthCarolina #CampaignRally #Politics #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/0f0U3sbTyT

— Asianet Newsable (@AsianetNewsEN) September 26, 2024

According to some of the latest on the controversy which looms large over Zelensky’s White House visit:

In letters to the White House, Justice Department and Pentagon, Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said he is investigating if the administration “attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign.”

Comer cited the use of a U.S. Air Force jet to transport Zelensky to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, Zelensky’s meeting with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Zelensky’s comments to the New Yorker.
Comer is asking the White House, DOJ and Pentagon for “any information and communication, both internal and external” about Zelensky’s visit.

Increasingly, Zelensky has not hid his frustration at Washington over not quickly acquiescing to Ukraine’s every demand. Trump and Vance have become more vocal in condemning this ‘ungrateful’ attitude. We’ll see if there’s an angry Zelensky leaving the White House by day’s end.