The White House said that Zelensky and Biden had already discussed the plan at a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. They wanted to discuss it further in Washington. Biden also told Zelensky that he had ordered an increase in US military aid to Ukraine, which he wanted to announce on Thursday and which would help Ukraine win. The White House did not provide any further details. It remained unclear what kind of aid this would involve.
New military package with cluster munitions
The USA is considered Ukraine’s most important ally in the fight against Russia and supports the country on a large scale. The US State Department announced on Wednesday that the USA is providing Ukraine with additional military aid from its own stocks, including controversial cluster munitions. The new package is worth around 375 million US dollars (around 337 million euros). The bombs are internationally banned, but have been used in the past nonetheless.
Shortly before, Biden had reaffirmed his determination, together with international partners, to help Ukraine rebuild. “We are committed to providing 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 discussed at the UN in New York
Russia invaded the neighboring country in February 2022. Zelensky also addressed his peace plan in New York. At the UN General Debate, he urged the implementation of his plan and rejected any initiatives that do not correspond to his government’s intentions – including a Chinese-Brazilian peace initiative that calls for a freeze on the war along the current front line.
Previously, Zelenskyj had implored his allies in the UN Security Council to work together to force an end to the Russian war of aggression. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has “broken so many international laws and rules that he will not stop doing so on his own. Russia can only be forced to make peace, and that is exactly what is needed,” he said in a meeting of the highest UN body.
Russia expands doctrine on the use of its nuclear weapons
Meanwhile, there were new threats from Russia: According to Putin, the nuclear power was adapting 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, especially for Western nuclear powers such as the USA and France, of becoming the target of a Russian counterattack should they, for example, support the nuclear-free Ukraine in an aggression against Russia.
Trump criticizes Selensky: “He refuses to make a deal”
In a speech, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused Zelensky of not reaching an agreement with Moscow to end Russia’s 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 rally in North Carolina. There are “so many dead,” said the former president. “Any deal, even the worst deal, would have been better than what we have now.”
There are fears in Ukraine that the United States, as the country’s most important supporter in the defensive struggle against Russia, could be largely ineffective if Trump wins the presidential election in November.
Zelenskyj wants to meet US parliamentarians – also meeting with Trump?
Talks between Zelensky 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 campaign team, that no date has been agreed yet.
Meanwhile, the Bundestag agreed on Wednesday to increase funds 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 defending their country,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
