Zelenskyy visiting White House as partisan divide grows over Ukraine war

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris pledges continued military support for Ukraine, contrasting with Trump's criticism and potential election interference.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Washington on Thursday (September 26, 2024) as U.S. support for his country's fight against Russia faces a partisan reckoning in this year's Presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for President, has pledged to continue sending military assistance to Ukraine if she's elected, and she'll have her own meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy after the Ukrainian leader sits down with President Joe Biden.

However, Mr. Zelenskyy's tumultuous relationship with former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, continued to deteriorate this week. Instead of meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy, Trump has criticised him.

As for U.S. support for Ukraine, Trump complained that “we continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal" to end the war.

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It's the most politically treacherous landscape that Mr. Zelenskyy has encountered in Washington since the war with Russia began nearly three years ago. Ukrainian officials are anxious to maintain good relations with whoever becomes the next President of the United States, which is its biggest and most important provider of arms, money and other support.

But the effort risks slipping into the political blender of the election, polarising the discussion around a war that used to be a bipartisan cause celebre in Washington.