Harris warns of Putin's broader ambitions in meeting with Zelensky

"History has shown us if we allow aggressors like Putin to take land with impunity, they keep going. And Putin could set his sights on Poland, the Baltic states and other NATO allies. We also know that other would-be aggressors around the world are watching to see what happens in Ukraine ... As history is so clear in reminding us, the United States cannot and should not isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. Isolation is not insulation," said Harris at the start of the meeting with Zelensky.

She stressed that the assistance from the United States is not charity support, but in America's strategic interest.

In her speech, she also referred to the plans proposed by Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance to end the war in Ukraine by giving part of Ukraine's territory to Russia, calling it a plan of capitulation.

"Nothing about the end of this war can be decided without Ukraine (...) However, in candor, I share with you, Mr. President, there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forgo security relationships with other nations," she said.

These proposals are the same of those of Putin. And let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender," she declared.

Discussions with Harris—the seventh meeting of these leaders—were the last point of the Ukrainian president's visit to Washington. Earlier, he met with President Joe Biden and groups of congressmen and senators from both parties.

During Zelensky's visit, the White House announced a record military aid package for Ukraine worth nearly $8 billion, including a refurbished Patriot system battery, JSOW air-to-ground missiles with a range of 81 miles, and extra ammunition, armored vehicles.

Congress indirectly forced the announcement of such a large package by not extending the president’s authority to transfer equipment from the US stockpile to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) mechanism, which expires at the end of the month.

Biden instructed the Pentagon to allocate all funds previously authorized by Congress for Ukraine support—including $5.5 billion under PDA—by the end of his term on January 20.

Biden and Zelensky also discussed Ukraine’s "victory plan," which included permission to use long-range American weapons to strike inside Russia. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre announced before the talks that no change was expected on this issue. Administration representatives had previously argued that such a move would not lead to a breakthrough in the war.

According to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, the two presidents will meet again on October 12 during Biden's visit to Germany.

Zelensky also discussed relaxing restrictions on the use of weapons during meetings with senators and congressmen. According to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Zelensky argued—and Graham agreed—that this would speed up the end of the war and reduce the need for further US support for Ukraine.

The visit comes amid an escalating dispute between Zelensky, Donald Trump, and some Republicans. Right-wing politicians were outraged by an interview with the Ukrainian president in "The New Yorker," in which he criticized both Trump and his vice-presidential candidate, Senator JD Vance, whom he described as "too radical" due to his proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine by establishing a ceasefire along current front lines. Zelensky also said that Trump "does not really know how to stop the war in Ukraine, even if he might think he does." The same outrage was triggered by Zelensky's Sunday visit to a munitions factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was accompanied by Democratic politicians, Governor Josh Shapiro, and Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey.

Due to this visit to a key election state, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson called on Zelensky on Wednesday in a letter to recall Ukraine's ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova.

During Wednesday's rally in North Carolina, Trump—who canceled a planned meeting with Zelensky in New York—he accused the Ukrainian president of throwing "little, nasty aspersions" at him. He also accused him of provoking Russian aggression by refusing to give in a little to Russia. He also accused Biden of not striking a deal with Putin that would have prevented the war.

Despite these controversies, Zelensky's meeting with pro-Ukrainian Republicans in Congress went well. According to a source in Congress, during the meeting with a dozen congressmen, the issue of alleged Ukrainian interference in the elections was brought up. Still, it was only a minor topic, and the entire meeting "went well." However, neither Speaker Johnson nor any Republican leadership in the House attended.

Senator Graham said he talked privately with Zelensky about his visit to Pennsylvania and the president's comments regarding Trump and Vance, but he considered the matter closed. He did not support Johnson's call for the recall of Ambassador Markarova. The politician acknowledged that meeting Zelensky and Trump this week was still possible. The same was suggested by Trump himself, who posted the content of a message he received from the Deputy Ambassador of Ukraine, Denys Sienik, on his social media portal TRUTH Social. The diplomat sought a meeting with Trump on Friday in New York. Trump did not indicate his response.

Zelensky's visit to the White House on Thursday is his fifth and his fourth since the full-scale Russian invasion.