KYIV, UKRAINE—With the conflict escalating and crucial U.S. military aid stalled, the government of Ukraine has issued an urgent and highly public call for a face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, D.C., possibly as early as this week.
The desperate diplomatic push comes as Ukraine battles a massive new Russian offensive and sees its already depleted stockpiles of ammunition and air defense missiles reach critically low levels. Kyiv is attempting to bypass legislative hurdles and appeal directly to the U.S. President to unlock military assistance before the Russian advances become irreversible.
The Stakes: War Funding and Air Defense
The request was formally lodged by Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova on Tuesday, who confirmed that Kyiv believes an emergency summit is necessary to clearly communicate the “reality of the front lines” to the American executive branch.
- Immediate Aid Crisis: At the heart of the urgency is the $60 billion military and financial aid package for Ukraine, which remains tied up in complex domestic political negotiations in the U.S. Congress. Without this funding, Ukraine’s military units are reporting they are rationed to just a handful of artillery shells per day.
- Air Defense Failures: Kyiv is also struggling to repel increasing Russian aerial attacks. Critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, has been successfully targeted with devastating effect, a failure directly attributable to the depletion of U.S.-supplied air defense munitions. Zelensky’s officials believe that only a personal appeal can secure an executive order or immediate funding release for air defense systems.
The proposed meeting would be a highly unusual diplomatic maneuver, given that President Trump rarely conducts unscheduled meetings with foreign leaders, especially during congressional negotiations.
Navigating the Washington Divide
The idea of a meeting has quickly exposed the deep political divides in Washington regarding the Ukraine conflict.
- Republican Pushback: Many conservative voices in the U.S. Congress oppose granting further aid without major policy concessions from Ukraine, and a meeting now could be seen as an unnecessary provocation. However, some Republican members of the Senate, who support the aid, are privately pushing the White House to agree to the meeting to better educate the executive branch on the gravity of the military situation.
- The White House Stance: The White House has not yet formally responded to the request. A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that while the President is sympathetic to Ukraine’s position, his focus remains on securing a comprehensive long-term aid solution through Congress rather than piecemeal executive action.
For President Zelensky, an in-person meeting is seen as the last, best chance to stabilize U.S. support and secure the weapons his forces need to survive the next several months of fighting. With Russian troops making steady gains on the eastern front, the diplomatic clock is running out.