Behind the smiles and handshakes — and a new $1.85 billion military aid package — the Ukrainian president and his advisers continue to push Washington for advanced weaponry that Biden is reluctant to provide.
With a $47 billion U.S. aid package requested by Biden for 2023, both were keen to solidify support from the new, Republican-led House that takes over next month. It was important, a senior administration official said, for Zelensky to use his considerable in-person charisma in making the case to lawmakers “about how this really is a struggle for democracy.”
The official reiterated the long-standing administration position that “it’s not for us to describe what diplomacy should look like, when it should begin, or what its red lines should be,” decisions that are for Ukraine to make.But just because there’s unanimity in pushing back Moscow doesn’t mean that Washington and Kyiv are walking in lockstep.
The latter two options Zelensky has made clear he will not support, noting that peace can only come when the Russian invaders have retreated from all occupied territory.Biden sought Zelensky’s “current thoughts about what that should look like,” the senior official said, while acknowledging that “it’s sort of an academic discussion at this point,” since there are no indications that Russia is interested in talking.
While Ukraine’s top military leaders have said they expect renewed Russian offensives, perhaps even against Kyiv, within the next few months, a senior State Department official said the United States believes the Kremlin is conflicted, with some Russian officials eager to capture more territory and others concerned about whether their forces are prepared to undertake major military operations.
But while there may be some internal haggling over tactics, U.S. officials said, there has been no dissension detected within the Kremlin “This isn’t a comprehensive air defense solution for Ukraine,” one defense official said of the newly approved Patriot system. “This is another step in many steps that we have pursued. ... With this one [Patriot] battery, we will be offering a formidable capability, but the United States and allies will still be working to round out Ukraine’s air defense.”But some senior Ukrainian officials maintain that the only way to stop the Russian air assault is to hit it where it originates.
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