Russia Zelenskyi wants to present details of peace plan to Biden
During a visit to Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky intends to present US President Joe Biden with details of his peace plan for Ukraine. On Thursday (19:45 CEST), Zelenskyi will be received by Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris at the White House. The plan is about how, in Selensky's view, Ukraine can achieve a victory in the war against the aggressor Russia and a just peace.
26.09.2024, 07:18
SDA
Selensky and Biden had already discussed the plan at a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the White House announced. They wanted to discuss it further in Washington. Biden also told Zelensky that he had arranged for an increase in US military aid for Ukraine, which he intended to announce on Thursday and which would help Ukraine to victory. The White House did not provide any further details. It remained unclear what kind of aid was involved.
New military package with cluster munitions
The USA is considered Ukraine's most important ally in the defensive struggle against Russia and is supporting the country on a large scale. The US State Department announced on Wednesday that the USA is providing Ukraine with further military aid from its own stocks, including controversial cluster munitions. The new package is worth around 375 million US dollars (equivalent to around 337 million euros). The bombs are internationally banned, but have nevertheless been used in the past.
Shortly beforehand, Biden had reaffirmed his determination, together with international partners in New York, to support Ukraine in its reconstruction. "We are determined to provide Ukraine with the resources it needs to become stronger than before," he said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Ukraine is economically resilient.
Peace plan already a topic at the UN in New York
Russia invaded the neighboring country in February 2022. Zelensky also discussed his peace plan in New York. At the UN General Debate, he urged the implementation of his plan and rejected any initiatives that were not in line with his government's plans - including a Chinese-Brazilian peace initiative that envisages a freeze on the war along the current front line.
Selensky had previously called on his allies in the UN Security Council to work together to force an end to the Russian war of aggression. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had "broken so many international laws and rules that he will not stop on his own. Russia can only be forced to make peace, and that is exactly what is needed," he said at a meeting of the UN's highest body.
Russia expands doctrine on the use of its nuclear weapons
Meanwhile, there were new threatening gestures from Russia: According to Putin, the nuclear power adapted its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons to the tense international situation. Russia's list of military threats against which nuclear weapons can be used as a deterrent has been expanded, Putin said at a meeting of the National Security Council in the Kremlin in Moscow.
The new doctrine increases the risk, particularly for Western nuclear powers such as the USA and France, of becoming the target of a Russian counter-strike if they support nuclear-free Ukraine in an aggression against Russia, for example.
Trump rebukes Zelensky: "He refuses to make a deal"
In a speech, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused Zelensky of not making a deal with Moscow to end the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. "We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal," Trump said at a campaign event in North Carolina. There are "so many dead people", said the ex-president. "Any deal, even the worst deal, would have been better than what we have now."
There are fears in Ukraine that the USA could largely fail as the country's most important supporter in the defensive battle against Russia if Trump wins the presidential election in November.
Zelensky wants to meet US parliamentarians - meeting with Trump too?
Talks between Zelenskyi and members of the US parliament are scheduled for Thursday. According to media reports, the Ukrainian president actually wanted to meet Trump during his time in the USA. However, "Politico" reported that such a meeting is now considered unlikely. The news portal wrote, citing an employee of Trump's election campaign team, that no appointment had been made so far.
Meanwhile, the Bundestag agreed on Wednesday to increase funding for military support for Ukraine by around 400 million euros. "This will enable additional air defense, tanks, drones, ammunition and spare parts to be procured, which will effectively strengthen the Ukrainian armed forces in the defense of their country," announced government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
