During his visit to the United States, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Washington with a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. Senate. The delegation included Republican senators: President pro tempore of the Senate Chuck Grassley, Сhairman of the Armed Services Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus Roger Wicker, and Сhairman of the Senate Budget Committee Lindsey Graham. The Democratic senators included Chairwoman of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee Amy Klobuchar, Co-Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment Sheldon Whitehouse, Co-Chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Richard Blumenthal, Co-Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Brian Schatz, Co-Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee Chris Coons, as well as Chris Van Hollen, Peter Welch, and Mark Kelly.
President Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the United States’ unwavering bicameral and bipartisan support throughout the three years of Russia’s full-scale aggression. Ukraine is proud to have strategic partners and friends like the United States.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, he would discuss bilateral economic relations and military cooperation, particularly in the field of technology and drones.
"It is crucial to discuss how we can stop Putin, how we can end this war, how we can bring peace closer to Ukraine, and what specific security guarantees we have. It is very important to us that people feel confident Putin will never attack again," the Head of State noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined the joint efforts of Ukraine and its partners in achieving a just and lasting peace. He shared Ukraine’s vision for how the war should end and stressed the importance of security guarantees. He noted that the first step must be the release of Ukrainian prisoners, as this would be the only real indication that Russia is willing to negotiate peace rather than rearm and prepare for another attack in the coming months or years.
The President also highlighted that since 2014, Russia has violated ceasefire agreements more than 25 times, underscoring the need for peace that is truly guaranteed.
Additionally, the discussions covered the continuation of military aid and relevant legislative initiatives. The President emphasized that Ukraine must be strong on the battlefield to force Russia into peace.