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Zelenskyy delivers upbeat message to US lawmakers on war progress as some Republican support softens

President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Ky., left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., right, speaks briefly to the media after meeting with members of Congress, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is welcomed to the Capitol in Washington, by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., left, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. It is Zelenskyy’s second visit to Washington since Russia invaded and comes as President Joe Biden’s request to Congress for an additional $24 billion for Ukraine is hanging in the balance. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Dec. 21, 2022, in Washington. Zelenskyy arrives in Washington for a whirlwind return visit, this time to face the Republicans now questioning the flow of American dollars that has kept his troops in the fight against Russian forces. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a welcome ceremony at the Pentagon, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

From left, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., left, listens as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, speaks while walking through Capitol Hill on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is delivering an upbeat message to U.S. lawmakers in a whirlwind visit to Washington. But Zelenskyy was facing Republicans who are now questioning the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has helped keep his troops in the fight against Russian forces.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy worked to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine on a whirlwind visit to Washington on Thursday, delivering an upbeat message on the war’s progress while facing new questions about the flow of American dollars that for 19 months have helped keep his troops in the fight against Russian forces.

The Ukrainian leader received a far quieter reception than the hero’s welcome he was given last year from Congress, but also won generally favorable comments on the next round of U.S. aid he says he needs to stave off defeat.

Zelenskyy, in long-sleeve olive drab, came to the Capitol with a firm message in private talks with Republican and Democratic leaders. The Ukrainians have a solid war plan, and “they are winning,” lawmakers quoted him as assuring them, at a time that the world is watching Western support for Kyiv.

President Joe Biden gave Zelenskyy a red-carpet arrival on the White House South lawn and more ceremony than world leaders normally receive, and made clear his concern with Congress.

Intensifying opposition to continued Ukraine funding from a faction of congressional Republicans largely aligned with the party’s presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is threatening what had been easier congressional approval for four previous rounds of funding for Ukraine, delivering $113 billion. Any momentum toward opposing U.S. aid for Ukraine also potentially risks public backing for the war effort.

Asked about the funding issue after meeting with Zelenskyy, Biden answered, “I’m counting on the good judgment of the United States Congress. There’s no alternative.”

It was Zelenskyy’s second visit to Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and came as Biden’s request to Congress for an additional $24 billion for Ukraine’s military and humanitarian needs is hanging in the balance. Resistance to the latest request could lead to delays or reductions.

The administration did announce another $325 million Thursday in what’s known as presidential drawdown assistance for Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the package would include additional air defense, artillery ammunition, cluster munitions and other arms.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who faces opposition to the Ukrainian funding package from the Republicans aligned with Trump, notably chose not to join House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat, in greeting Zelenskyy when he arrived. And Republican McCarthy also confirmed that he declined Zelenskyy’s request for a joint session of Congress, as happened during the Ukrainian president’s dramatic visit to Washington last winter, saying there wasn’t time for that on short notice.

But McCarthy praised the answers that Ukrainians delivered to lawmakers Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit Washington, D.C. on Thursday, but he faces a different climate since visiting in 2022, where Republicans control the House and some are questioning America’s support for Ukraine. (Sept. 20)

“It was direct, I thought it was honest, they were answering the questions,” McCarthy said. “I heard a lot of positive things.”

Lawmakers who attended the private meeting described questioning Zelenskyy on the way forward for Ukraine’s counteroffensive, as the fight to roll back invading Russian forces moves closer to the two-year mark without major breakthroughs in Russia’s heavily mined lines.

Zelenskyy “conceded that it’s tough, very tough to overcome entrenched defenses,” Independent Sen. Angus King said. “They believe they will make slow but steady progress, but it’s not going to be quick.”

Back home, Russia launched its heaviest strikes in a month in the hours before Zelenskyy’s arrival at Congress, killing three, igniting fires and damaging energy infrastructure as Russian missiles and artillery pounded cities across Ukraine.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan underscored Thursday that Biden would seek to drive home with Zelenskyy’s visit that the U.S. and the world “send the unmistakable message that in the 21st century, a dictator cannot be allowed to conquer or carve up his neighbor’s territory.”

“If we allow that here, it will happen elsewhere in ways that will undermine the fundamental security, not to mention the values that the American people hold so dear,” Sullivan said.

Biden has called on world leaders to stand strong with Ukraine, even as he faces domestic political divisions at home. A hard-right flank of Republicans, led by Trump, Biden’s chief rival in the 2024 race for the White House, is increasingly opposed to sending more money overseas.

Zelenskyy was scheduled to address the Canadian Parliament and meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on Friday.

He faces challenges in Europe, as cracks emerge in what had been a largely united Western alliance behind Ukraine.

Late Wednesday, Poland’s prime minister said his country is no longer sending arms to Ukraine, a comment that appeared aimed at pressuring Kyiv and put Poland’s status as a major source of military equipment in doubt as a trade dispute between the neighboring states escalates.

Zelenskyy’s visit comes with U.S. and world government leaders watching as Ukrainian forces struggle to take back territory that Russia gained over the past year. Their progress in the next month or so before the rains come and the ground turns to mud could be critical to rousing additional global support over the winter. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hopes to outlast allied backing for Kyiv, will be ready to capitalize if he sees Ukraine is running low on air defense or other weapons.

The political environment has shifted markedly since Zelenskyy addressed Congress last December on his first trip out of Ukraine since the war began. He was met with rapturous applause for his country’s bravery and surprisingly strong showing in the war.

His meeting with senators Thursday took place behind closed doors in the Old Senate Chamber, a historic and intimate place of importance at the U.S. Capitol, signifying the respect the Senate is showing the foreign leader.

Zelenskyy received a warm welcome from both parties on his stop in the Senate. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer flanked him as he walked in. A few lawmakers of both parties wore clothes with blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Schumer told reporters afterward one sentence summed up the meeting: “Mr. Zelenskyy said if we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war.”

Senate Republican leader McConnell, who is trying to keep his party in line behind support for Ukraine, said afterward he was proud to welcome Zelenskyy to the Capitol.

“Americans’ support for Ukraine is not a charity,” he said. “It’s an investment in our own self-interest.”

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Kevin Freking, Tara Copp, Lolita M. Baldor, Colleen Long, Aamer Madhani and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

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Volodymyr Zelensky’s Critical Visit to Washington, D.C.

By Masha Gessen

Political humor is often not funny, even when it gets a laugh. On Wednesday, during President Biden’s joint press conference with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , a reporter for the Ukrainian television channel One Plus One asked a question about the logic of American military aid to Ukraine . “When the full-scale invasion started,” she said, “U.S. officials said that Ukraine cannot receive Patriot [missiles] because, as you said, it might be unnecessary escalation.” But just that day—three hundred days into the war—the Administration had announced that a Patriot battery would be shipped to Ukraine as part of the latest aid package. Much of what Ukraine has asked for, including long-range missiles, remains off limits, however. “Maybe I sound naïve,” the reporter said, “but can we make long story short and give Ukraine all capabilities it needs and liberate all territories rather sooner than later?”

“His answer is yes,” Biden said, pointing at Zelensky. The audience—several dozen journalists seated in gold Chiavari chairs—laughed.

Zelensky laughed, gesturing at Biden. “I agree,” he said. The audience laughed harder.

“Let me be straightforward,” Biden said. The United States had given Ukraine “what they needed,” at an expense of more than twenty billion dollars, but decisions regarding the kinds of arms provided had to be made jointly with NATO and European Union partners. “We are going to give Ukraine what it needs to be able to defend itself, to be able to succeed, and to succeed in the battlefield,” Biden said. But European allies “are not looking to go to war with Russia. They are not looking for the Third World War. I think it can all be avoided by making sure that Ukraine is able to succeed in the battlefield.” The room was quiet.

What had made everyone laugh was that the Presidents’ initial responses—and, indeed, the reporter’s question itself—had been obscene: they exposed what is usually hidden. The United States and its allies have not done enough to stop the war in Ukraine. They could, but they have not, and so for ten months Russian troops have tortured and executed Ukrainians, erased entire towns from the face of the earth, and targeted civilian infrastructure in order to deprive civilians of heat, light, and running water in winter. In his response, Biden covered this obscenity back up, by talking about giant sums of money, complicated international politics, and U.S. hope for an eventual Ukrainian victory. Zelensky was silent.

Later that day, in his speech to Congress, Zelensky returned to the obscenity. He said that, on the night before his visit to Washington, he had gone to Bakhmut , a town in eastern Ukraine that his troops have been struggling to hold. “We have artillery, yes,” Zelensky said. “Thank you. We have it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really. To insure Bakhmut is not just a stronghold that holds back the Russian Army, but for the Russian Army to completely pull out, more cannons and shells are needed.” To avoid sounding ungrateful, Zelensky framed this question as pertaining only to Bakhmut, but what he was really talking about is the fact that the United States could enable Ukraine to achieve a complete victory, yet aid has been slow and incomplete, and even the current consensus underpinning aid is fragile—this was why Zelensky was addressing Congress in the first place.

Zelensky’s trajectory —from comedian to media manager to President to wartime President—is often cast as surprising, but what makes him compelling as a political leader is the comic’s talent for exposing the crux of the matter. Speaking on Capitol Hill, Zelensky took care not to put members of Congress on the defensive—he is a performer always keenly aware of his audience, and this time he was speaking to people who have the power to save his country or doom it by withholding aid. But, to anyone really listening, he was still exposing underlying obscenities.

Zelensky likened the ongoing war to the Battle of the Bulge, one of the last major battles of the Second World War. “The Russians’ tactic is primitive,” Zelensky said. “They burn down and destroy everything they see. They sent thugs to the front lines. They sent convicts to the war. They threw everything against us, similar to the other tyranny, which was in the Battle of the Bulge. Threw everything it had against the free world.” It was the same time of year, even. The comparison suggested that, just as Americans and Western Europeans presented a joint, brave, and ultimately victorious front against Hitler in 1944, Americans and Ukrainians are jointly fighting against Putin today. But in Belgium in 1944, American soldiers were fighting on the ground. This December, only Ukrainians are fighting the Russians in Ukraine. The assumption that underpins Western strategy in relation to Ukraine—the fundamental belief that drives habitual caveats about avoiding “unnecessary escalation” and “ NATO involvement”—is that nothing can justify a risk to the lives of Western Europeans and Americans, even while Ukrainians keep dying. Zelensky said this quiet part in two ways in his speech.

“Ukraine never asked the American soldiers to fight on our land instead of us,” he said. “I assure you that Ukrainian soldiers can perfectly operate American tanks and planes themselves.”

He also promised his audience that Ukrainians would last the winter. “Ladies and gentlemen—ladies and gentlemen, Americans, in two days we will celebrate Christmas,” Zelensky said, his phrasing underscoring the synchronicity of the American and Ukrainian holiday. (In fact, celebrating Christmas in late December, rather than early January, as the Eastern Orthodox do in Russia, is one of the many ways that Ukraine has moved away from Moscow and toward Western Europe in recent years.) “Maybe candlelit. Not because it’s more romantic, no, but because . . . there will be no electricity. Millions won’t have neither heating nor running water. All of these will be the result of Russian missile and drone attacks on our energy infrastructure.” But, he reassured his listeners, he was not challenging their right to have heat, hot water, and the power to determine how long the war in Ukraine will last. “We do not complain. We do not judge and compare whose life is easier. Your well-being is the product of your national security; the result of your struggle for independence and your many victories. We Ukrainians will also go through our war of independence and freedom with dignity and success.”

Every time Zelensky noted his people’s resolve, members of the House and Senate stood up and applauded. It happened a lot. If Zelensky were still a comedian, he might have called out his audience’s bullshit: “Hey, what’s with the applause while people die? Why don’t you stop clapping, sit down, and give us weapons instead? If you think that fighting Russia is so awesome, why don’t you close the sky or put boots on the ground?” But Zelensky is a politician now. Instead of calling out congresspeople, he appealed to their political self-interest, telling them that by protecting Ukraine they would protect American democracy. “This battle,” he said, “cannot be ignored, hoping that the ocean or something else will provide a protection.” He appealed to their economic self-interest, too. “Your money is not charity,” Zelensky said. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.” He appealed to their vanity. “ ‘The American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory,’ ” Zelensky said, quoting F.D.R.’s “Day of Infamy” speech . “The Ukrainian people will win, too, absolutely. I know that everything depends on us, on Ukrainian armed forces, yet so much depends on the world. So much in the world depends on you.”

American politicians responded to Zelensky by valorizing him, as Americans usually do. Zelensky resists this, wisely. In an interview with David Letterman, which aired earlier this month (it was conducted this fall in the Kyiv metro , as trains went past and air-raid sirens sounded), Zelensky deftly shot down the older comedian’s attempts to cast him as a hero. Heroes are unlike ordinary people; they can survive anything. Zelensky noted that he showered and that he likes to eat. He might have added that, being human, all Ukrainians need to eat, and to have heat and water in winter. In the hands of a less capable performer, or a performer who laughs less readily, these demurrals might have come off as disingenuous or moralistic. But, through three hundred days of nightly addresses to the Ukrainian people and regular speeches to Western political bodies, Zelensky has, almost without fail, found the right tone and the right timing to insure that the audience stays with him. His and the Ukrainian people’s lives depend on it. ♦

More on the War in Ukraine

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Ukrainian President Zelenskyy visits the White House

By Bo Erickson , Kathryn Watson

Updated on: September 1, 2021 / 9:45 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is finally getting his White House meeting, two years after his name became central to an investigation that led to former President Trump's first impeachment . 

President Biden, who took no questions from reporters at the top of his meeting with Zelenskyy on Wednesday, emphasized that the U.S. remains committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression. Mr. Biden said the two leaders will discuss how the U.S. can support Ukraine as it continues developing its democracy and integrating with Europe, as well as the fight against COVID-19 .

"As we celebrate 30 years of Ukrainian independence, the partnership between our nations grows stronger and it's going to even become stronger than it has been," Mr. Biden said.

• Ahead of Biden-Putin summit, Ukraine leader tells Americans war with Russia could "be tomorrow in their houses"

Zelenskyy, speaking through a translator, offered his condolences for the deaths of 13 American service members in Afghanistan last week. He said the two leaders will focus on security matters. A key issue for Ukraine is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which the U.S. and Germany are letting Russia complete and which will allow Russia to bypass Ukraine en route to Western Europe. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that is a matter of concern, and he will discuss the issue with Mr. Biden. The Ukrainian president also brought up the "very sensitive issue" of a list of more than 450 Ukrainian prisoners being held by the Russian federation.

"We have to focus very much now on the security issues which are the most important — security in Ukrainian Donbas and in the Ukrainian Crimea occupied by the Russian Federation, security in the Black Sea, and security in the Azov Sea region," Zelenskyy said, through a translator.

Two years ago,  Mr. Trump pressed Zelenskyy  to investigate the son of then-candidate Joe Biden, prompting the  first of two Trump impeachments . In July 2019, Mr. Trump asked Zelenskyy to "look into" Mr. Biden and his son Hunter, according to a rough White House transcript of the call. Mr. Trump was impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate. 

Zelenskyy's visit on Wednesday marks the second time a European leader has come to the Oval Office since Mr. Biden took office in January. The Congressional Ukraine Caucus met with Zelenskyy on Tuesday afternoon, as did Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Austin congratulated Zelenskyy on Ukraine's 30 years of independence, also offering his support for Ukraine's sovereignty "in the face of Russian aggression."

The U.S. and Ukraine are expected to announce they are restarting a commission to codify their strategic partnership, a senior administration official told reporters earlier this week. The commission, which has not met in three years, originally began in 2008.

The senior administration official said the U.S. remains "supportive" of Ukrainian democracy reforms, a stipulated requirement ahead of any future possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.

The administration notified Congress last week of an additional $60 million security assistance package to Ukraine, which includes javelin missiles and other lethal and non-lethal defense capabilities, the official also said.

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• Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Bo Erickson is a reporter covering the White House for CBS News Digital.

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Here’s how Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to US in first visit since war began

UPDATE 12-22-2022, 11:00 (UTC +3) : This article was originally published while the events were still unfolding. It has since been updated with new information.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the United Staes on December 21, 2022, in a move that came as a surprise for many.

Zelensky’s first foreign visit since Russia invaded Ukraine, was announced on the morning of December 21, via the Ukrainian president’s Twitter account, which revealed that he was already on his way to the US.

Zelensky was still in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the evening of December 20, a site which has seen some of the fiercest battles during the war.

Zelensky was allegedly already on the plane in the early morning the next day, with his speech at the US Congress scheduled for the afternoon the same day.

But how is that possible?

The aircraft 

ADW is where official flights to Washington DC usually land. It is located approximately 7,380 kilometers (4,586 miles) from RZE, a distance that took the aircraft less than 10 hours to travel. 

The C-40B is a Boeing 737-700 BBJ business jet, modified with additional equipment, including protective and communication systems.  

According to the US Air Force, it has a range of up to 9,260 kilometers (5,000 nautical miles), almost twice that of a regular Boeing 737. This puts ADW well within range to fly straight from RZE without needing to refuel.  

The C-40B, registration 01-0041, which conducts the flight SAM910, was delivered to the US Air Force in 2005. 

Much like the rest of the USAF’s C-40 fleet, it has been regularly spotted conducting US governmental flights. A slightly newer version of this aircraft, the Boeing C-40C, carried US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2022 during her controversial flight to Taiwan. 

Air Force Boeing C-40C carrying Nancy Pelosi lands safely in Taiwan

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to visit Manila

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

UKRAINE'S LEADER. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a service commemorating victims of World War II at the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral with Polish President Andrzej Duda, in Lutsk, Ukraine, July 9, 2023.

Alina Smutko/Reuters

MANILA, Philippines – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be visiting Manila for the first time.

Zelenskyy is set to arrive in Manila late Sunday evening, June 2, according to diplomatic sources in Manila.

This is his first ever visit to Manila since being elected president in 2019. He flies in just as Ukraine continues to face a nonstop assault from Russia.

The Ukrainian leader was in nearby Singapore over the weekend to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, where he accused both Russia and China of trying to undermine a peace summit in Switzerland.

Diplomatic sources earlier said Ukraine had wanted to meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Singapore, but their schedules did not sync up.

Marcos delivered the keynote address for the dialogue, in which he extolled the importance of the rules-based order as Manila deals with an aggressive China in the South China Sea .

Marcos left Singapore right after his speech and arrived in Manila early Saturday morning, June 1. Zelenskyy arrived in Singapore on Saturday, after Marcos left.

The Associated Press had earlier reported that Zelenskyy could travel to Manila to personally invite Marcos to the peace summit. – Rappler.com

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‘What’s the Problem?’ Zelensky Challenges West Over Hesitations.

“Shoot down what’s in the sky over Ukraine,” he said in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times. “And give us the weapons to use against Russian forces on the borders.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at the presidential offices in Kyiv after an interview with The New York Times on Monday. Credit...

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By Andrew E. Kramer

Photographs by Daniel Berehulak

Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine

• Published May 21, 2024 Updated May 22, 2024

With his army struggling to fend off fierce Russian advances all across the front, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urged the United States and Europe to do more to defend his nation, dismissing fears of nuclear escalation and proposing that NATO planes shoot down Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace.

Mr. Zelensky said he had also appealed to senior U.S. officials to allow Ukraine to fire American missiles and other weaponry at military targets inside Russia — a tactic the United States continues to oppose. The inability to do so, he insisted, gave Russia a “huge advantage” in cross-border warfare that it is exploiting with assaults in Ukraine’s northeast.

His comments, made in an interview on Monday with The New York Times in central Kyiv, were among his most full-throated appeals yet to the United States and its NATO allies for more help. Over 50 minutes at the ornate House With Chimeras in the presidential offices, he spoke with a mix of frustration and bewilderment at the West’s reluctance to take bolder steps to ensure that Ukraine prevails.

Mr. Zelensky has long lobbied the West, for more weapons in particular. But his pleas this week come at a critical time for Ukraine’s war effort, with its army in retreat and a new package of American arms yet to arrive in sufficient quantities. Not since the early days of the war has Ukraine faced as grave a military challenge, analysts say.

It’s also a pivotal time in Ukrainian politics. Mr. Zelensky spoke on the last day of his five-year presidential term. Elections scheduled for March were suspended because of the war, and he will remain president under martial law powers, with his tenure potentially stretching as long as the war.

In the wide-ranging interview, Mr. Zelensky, 46, discussed the wrenching sadness of visiting mass graves and consoling the families of dead soldiers, but also his own personal journey, and the “recharge” he gets from the little time he has to spend with his children. He said he would like to read more but falls asleep too quickly at night to get far.

He was most animated as he ticked off a checklist of actions he believed his allies should take to support Ukraine. He argued that NATO should shoot down Russian missiles in flight over Ukraine — without planes crossing into Ukrainian airspace — saying that would be a purely defensive tactic and pose no risk of direct combat with Russian forces.

“So my question is, what’s the problem? Why can’t we shoot them down? Is it defense? Yes. Is it an attack on Russia? No. Are you shooting down Russian planes and killing Russian pilots? No. So what’s the issue with involving NATO countries in the war? There is no such issue.”

“Shoot down what’s in the sky over Ukraine,” he added. “And give us the weapons to use against Russian forces on the borders.”

That kind of direct NATO involvement, which analysts say could provoke Russia to retaliate, has been resisted in Western capitals. But Mr. Zelensky drew a comparison to how the United States and Britain helped Israel shoot down a barrage of drones and missiles from Iran last month.

“This is what we saw in Israel,” Mr. Zelensky said. “Not even on such a large scale.” The White House response to the comparison then was, “ Different conflicts, different airspace, different threat picture. ”

Mr. Zelensky also urged the alliance to come through with more F-16 fighter jets as well as Patriot air defense systems.

“Can we get seven?” he said, saying Ukraine needed more Patriot systems but would settle for that number to protect regions key to the nation’s economy and energy sector. He suggested a decision might be reached when NATO leaders gathered for a summit in Washington in July.

“Do you think it is too much for the NATO anniversary summit in Washington?” he asked. “For a country that is fighting for freedom and democracy around the world today?”

Asked about potential cease-fire negotiations, he called for diplomacy that avoids direct talks with Russia but rallies nations behind Ukraine’s positions for an eventual peace settlement. It would begin with plans to secure Ukrainian food exports to developing nations, prisoner exchanges, measures to secure a Russian-occupied nuclear power station in Ukraine’s south and returning Ukrainian children whom he said were abducted and taken to Russia.

He said he hoped dozens of nations would get behind such an initiative when they gathered at a “peace summit” in mid-June in Switzerland. And he pressed again for a plan for Ukraine to join NATO.

He also welcomed recent suggestions by some allies that NATO send troops to train or support Ukrainian forces in Ukraine, though he added, “I don’t see it, except in words.”

More immediately, he said the ability to use Western-provided weapons to strike at military targets inside Russia was essential for Ukraine’s success.

Only by using these weapons to destroy logistical hubs in Russia and Russian planes in Russian territory, he said, could Ukraine effectively defend itself from the recent assault in the northeast which threatens Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

“How do we respond when they strike our cities?” he said, noting that Ukraine could see Russian forces massing across the border before they attacked but was powerless to strike them.

“They proceed calmly,” he added, “understanding that our partners do not give us permission” to use their weapons to retaliate.

The West’s primary reason for hesitating — fear of nuclear escalation — was overblown, Mr. Zelensky said, because President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would refrain from using nuclear weapons out of a sense of self-preservation.

“He may be irrational, but he loves his own life,” Mr. Zelensky said.

He also suggested that there was another reason for the West’s hesitation: Some countries were seeking to retain trade and diplomatic ties with Russia. “Everyone keeps the door slightly ajar,” he said.

It’s been a tumultuous run for Mr. Zelensky. He was elected in 2019 on a platform of negotiating peace with Russia, which his critics said was naïve. He also pledged to crack down on corruption and promised to serve only one five-year term.

A television personality before becoming president, Mr. Zelensky alternates between diplomacy to drum up support for Ukraine and exhortations to his soldiers and civilians in the face of deteriorating military prospects. He said he has little time to see his son and daughter, 11 and 19, but called spending time with them his “happiest moments.”

“For example, I ask my son what’s happening,” he said. “He says they’re starting to learn Spanish. I’m interested in that. I don’t know Spanish, but honestly, I’m only interested in the time I can spend with him, no matter what he’s doing.”

“These are the moments that recharge you, give you energy. These are the happiest moments. That’s when I can relax.”

He said he also recharges by working out in the mornings, and tries at night to read. “I’ll be honest, any kind of fiction, I read at night, two, three, four, 10 pages max, and then I fall asleep,” he said.

He reflected for a moment when asked what he would do after the war, and appeared to contemplate the prospect that Russia would prevail. “After the war, after the victory, these are different things,” he said. “It could be different. I think my plans depend on that.

“So, I would like to believe that there will be a victory for Ukraine. Not an easy one, very difficult. It is absolutely clear that it will be very difficult. And I would just like to have a bit of time with my family and with my dogs.”

Mr. Zelensky passed a critical point in his presidency early in the war with the failure of Russia’s attempted decapitating attack on the Ukrainian leadership in Kyiv, which he has said included a plan to capture or assassinate him.

Now, nearly 27 months later, it’s unclear how or when his presidency will end. Ukraine’s martial law, which is periodically renewed with votes in Parliament, rules out holding presidential elections. Though his party, Servant of the People, holds a majority of seats, party discipline has reportedly unraveled in recent months, and Mr. Zelensky has struggled to push through bills.

After the shock of the initial invasion, 90 percent of Ukrainians said they trusted Mr. Zelensky; that figure had fallen to 60 percent by February, according to polling by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

Competitive national elections have been a success of Ukraine’s politics since independence in 1991, fulfilling the promise of a democratic transition that fell flat in Russia, Belarus and some countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

International experts on elections have supported Ukraine’s decision to suspend voting during the war, given that millions of Ukrainians would be unable to vote in areas under occupation, as refugees in Europe or while serving as soldiers at the front.

Asked to assess the health of Ukraine’s democracy, he said, “Ukraine doesn’t need to prove anything about democracy to anyone.”

“Because Ukraine and its people are proving it through their war,” he went on. “Without words, without unnecessary rhetoric, without just rhetorical messages floating in the air. They prove it with their lives.”

Bill Brink and Philip P. Pan and Anastasia Kuznietsova contributed reporting from Kyiv.

An earlier version of this article misstated the time period between The New York Times’s interview with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the start of the country’s war with Russia. It was 27 months, not 17 months.

How we handle corrections

Andrew E. Kramer is the Kyiv bureau chief for The Times, who has been covering the war in Ukraine since 2014. More about Andrew E. Kramer

Daniel Berehulak is a staff photographer for The Times based in Mexico City. More about Daniel Berehulak

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

The decision by the Biden administration to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia  with American-made weapons fulfills a long-held wish by officials in Kyiv  that they claimed was essential to level the playing field.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that Ukraine’s use of U.S.-supplied arms could expand beyond the current limitation  to strikes in the Kharkiv area.

Top Ukrainian military officials have warned that Russia is building up troops near northeastern Ukraine , raising fears that a new offensive push could be imminent.

Zelensky Interview: In an interview with The New York Times, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine challenged the West  over its reluctance to take bolder action.

Fleeing a War Zone: A 98-year-old Ukrainian grandmother stumbled past corpses and bomb craters  to escape Russia’s attacks.

Russia’s RT Network : RT, which the U.S. State Department describes as a key player in the Kremlin’s propaganda apparatus, has been blocked in Europe since the war started. Its content is still spreading .

How We Verify Our Reporting

Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs , videos and radio transmissions  to independently confirm troop movements and other details.

We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts .

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Zelensky says Trump at risk of becoming 'loser president' amid eerie WW3 warning

V olodymyr Zelensky has claimed Donald Trump is at risk of becoming a "loser president" if he cuts off funding to Ukraine - amid fears it could result in World War 3.

President Zelensky issued a chilling warning if Trump returns to the White House in November claiming it would mean the end of the US as a global "player." Trump, who boasted last year he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in "24 hours", is expected to cut off US military support to Ukraine if he beats Joe Biden .

Zelensky believes that if Trump wins, he could impose a devastating defeat on Ukraine. Speaking to The Guardian , the leader said Trump could cut off "support, weapons and money", and "make deals" with Ukraine's partners to stop deliveries of much-needed arms.

READ MORE: Trump thanks Boris Johnson for slamming conviction as 'mob-style hit job'

“Ukraine, barehanded, without weapons, will not be able to fight a multimillion [Russian] army,” Zelensky said. Asked whether the US's standing in the world would be diminished if Trump withdrew military support for Ukraine, Zelensky replied: “Does he want to become a loser president? Do you understand what can happen?"

Zelensky continued: “This is not about him [Trump], as a person but about the institutions of the United States. They will become very weak. The US will not be the leader of the world any more. Yes, it will be powerful, first of all, in the domestic economy because it has a powerful economy without a doubt. But in terms of international influence it will be equal to zero.”

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US .

Pressed on whether the US would no longer be "a player", Zelensky admitted authoritarian countries and leaders would “come into the arena” and copy Putin’s aggressive “approach” - resulting in a devastating war. “The beginning of what everyone is so afraid to talk about. This is reality. And this is the real third world war”, he said.

His comments come as Zelensky met with the Philippine president on Monday in a rare Asian trip to urge regional leaders to attend a Swiss-organized global peace summit on the war in Ukraine that he accuses Russia , with China ’s help, of trying to undermine.

Zelensky arrived unannounced and under heavy security in Manila late Sunday after speaking over the weekend at the Shangri-La defence forum in Singapore. He was given a red-carpet welcome with military honours Monday at the presidential palace before meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., after which he left the Philippines.

Marcos pledged that his country would take part in the peace summit, Philippine Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said. “I’m happy to hear today from you that you’ll participate in our peace steps,” Zelensky told Marcos. “It’s a very strong signal.”