We cannot grow weary. We will not let up on our support.
As Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States carrying a 'victory plan' and an appeal for NATO membership, the country he sought to persuade revealed itself to be two nations with two entirely different answers. Joe Biden stood before the United Nations pledging unwavering support and announcing $375 million in new military aid, while Donald Trump — declining even to meet the Ukrainian president — called for American withdrawal from a war he mischaracterized as one of direct US involvement. The November election has become, in effect, a referendum on whether the West's commitment to Ukraine is a principle or a presidency.
- Trump's refusal to meet Zelenskyy — contradicting Ukrainian officials who had expected a meeting — signals that a future Trump administration may abandon Ukraine's cause entirely.
- Biden used his final UN address as president to declare Putin's invasion a strategic failure, with NATO's expansion to Finland and Sweden as his evidence, while Zelenskyy watched from the chamber.
- Nearly $6 billion in US aid authority expires at the end of September, creating a closing window that the Biden administration is racing to deploy before a potential change in power.
- Zelenskyy's undisclosed 'victory plan' demands NATO membership as a condition — a maximalist position that complicates diplomacy even as Brazilian and Chinese proposals for de-escalation circulate at the UN.
- In Kharkiv, thirty kilometers from the Russian border, strikes on an apartment building, a bakery, and a stadium killed three and wounded more than thirty — the war's arithmetic of ordinary life destroyed.
Donald Trump will not meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian president's visit to the United States. A Trump campaign official confirmed to the Associated Press that no meeting is scheduled, contradicting earlier statements from Ukrainian officials. The absence speaks volumes: Trump has called for American withdrawal from the conflict, falsely implying direct US military involvement, and invoked Russia's historical resilience — its defeats of Hitler and Napoleon — as reason to accept Moscow's staying power.
At the United Nations, Joe Biden offered the opposite vision. In what he described as his final address to the General Assembly as president, Biden declared that Putin had failed in his core objective — the destruction of Ukraine — and pointed to NATO's expansion as proof. He pledged continued support with Zelenskyy watching from the chamber, and the Pentagon followed with a $375 million military package drawn directly from its stockpiles, among the largest approved in recent months. Since 2022, the US has provided over $56 billion in security assistance. But nearly $6 billion in remaining aid authority expires at month's end, and the administration is racing to deploy it before January.
Zelenskyy used his own UN address to demand an international coalition to force Russia into peace, presenting evidence he claims shows Putin plans to target Ukrainian nuclear power plants. His 'victory plan' — details still undisclosed — includes a requirement for NATO membership, a condition his office confirmed this week. He dismissed a Chinese-Brazilian proposal for de-escalation talks as 'destructive,' insisting his own summit initiative is the only viable path.
While diplomats debated frameworks in New York, Russian strikes hit a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv on Tuesday afternoon, killing three civilians and wounding more than thirty. The targets — an apartment building, a bakery, a stadium — were the unremarkable architecture of daily life. The city, thirty kilometers from the Russian border, has endured bombardment throughout the war's two and a half years. What happens next in Ukraine may be decided not on the battlefield, but in American voting booths in November.
Donald Trump will not be meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week, despite the Ukrainian president's presence in the United States. A Trump campaign official confirmed to the Associated Press that no meeting has been scheduled, contradicting statements from Ukrainian officials last week who had indicated such an encounter was planned. The snub arrives as the two leaders occupy starkly different positions on the war consuming Ukraine.
Trump has been explicit about his view: the United States needs to withdraw from the conflict. Speaking in Georgia, he argued that Biden and Harris had dragged America into the war and now lacked any strategy to exit it. He did not acknowledge that the US has no troops deployed in Ukraine, only military and humanitarian assistance flowing across its borders. Instead, he invoked history to suggest Russia's staying power, noting that Moscow had defeated both Hitler and Napoleon. "That's what they do," Trump said. "They fight. And it's not pleasant."
Meanwhile, at the United Nations, Joe Biden delivered what he framed as his final address to the General Assembly as president. He declared that Putin's invasion had failed in its core objective—the destruction of Ukraine—and that the country remained free. He pointed to NATO's expansion as a strategic victory, with Finland and Sweden now members of the alliance. "We cannot grow weary," Biden said, with Zelenskyy watching from the chamber. "We will not let up on our support for Ukraine. Not until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace."
The Pentagon announced Tuesday that it would send Ukraine approximately $375 million in military assistance, including medium-range cluster bombs, rockets, artillery, and armored vehicles. The package represents one of the largest approved in recent months and will be drawn directly from Pentagon stockpiles to accelerate delivery. Since Russia's 2022 invasion, the United States has provided more than $56.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. Yet a complication looms: nearly $6 billion in remaining aid authority expires at the end of September unless Congress acts to extend it. A senior State Department official said the administration would find a way to deploy the remaining funds before Biden's term ends in January, expressing confidence that appropriated money would not go unused.
Zelenskyy used his own UN address to call for a broad international coalition to "force Russia into peace." He accused Moscow of committing international crimes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, and claimed to have evidence that Putin intends to target three Ukrainian nuclear power plants to further cripple the country's energy grid. He rejected the notion that diplomacy alone could end the war. His so-called "victory plan," details of which remain undisclosed, includes a demand for NATO membership—a condition his presidential office confirmed this week. Zelenskyy is scheduled to present the plan to Biden during his visit.
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has advocated for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, a proposal Zelenskyy has already dismissed as "destructive." The Chinese-Brazilian plan, made public in May, calls for de-escalation and resumed dialogue without requiring Russian withdrawal. Zelenskyy insists his own summit initiative is the only viable path forward.
On the ground, the human toll continues to mount. Russian strikes on a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, a city roughly 30 kilometers from the Russian border, killed three civilians and wounded more than thirty on Tuesday afternoon. The attacks targeted an apartment building, a bakery, and a stadium—the ordinary infrastructure of daily life. Kharkiv has endured relentless aerial bombardment throughout the two-and-a-half-year war. The divergence between Trump's call for American withdrawal and Biden's pledge of unwavering support now hinges on November's election outcome, with Ukraine's future hanging in the balance.
Notable Quotes
Biden and Kamala got us into this war in Ukraine, and now they can't get us out.— Donald Trump, in a speech in Georgia
Putin's war has failed at its core aim. He set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free.— Joe Biden, addressing the UN General Assembly
We cannot grow weary. We cannot look away. We will not let up on our support for Ukraine.— Joe Biden, at the UN
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Trump's refusal to meet Zelenskyy matter more than the $375 million in weapons being sent?
Because weapons can be stopped. A president can reverse a policy decision with a phone call. A handshake—or the absence of one—signals what a potential future administration actually believes about the war.
But Trump says the US isn't even fighting in Ukraine. Isn't that technically true?
Technically, yes. But "not fighting" and "not involved" are different things. When you're sending $56 billion in weapons and ammunition, you're deeply involved in how the war unfolds. Trump seems to be using that distinction to avoid the harder question: what does America owe Ukraine?
What's in this "victory plan" Zelenskyy keeps mentioning?
He hasn't said yet. But we know NATO membership is part of it. That's the thing—he's not asking for negotiations with Russia. He's asking for guarantees from the West that Russia can't refuse.
So Brazil and China are trying to broker peace?
They're trying. But Zelenskyy has already said no. He doesn't believe Russia will negotiate in good faith, and he may be right. You can't force someone to the table if they don't think they're losing.
What happens if Congress doesn't extend that $6 billion in aid authority?
The weapons stop. The State Department says they'll find a way before January, but that assumes Biden remains in control of the decision. If Trump wins, all bets are off.
And the people in Kharkiv right now?
They're living under constant bombardment. Three dead on Tuesday, thirty wounded. That's not unusual for them anymore. It's the rhythm of their lives.