U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a joint press conference in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26, ahead of their in-private meeting.
Zelensky has been in the U.S. since Sept. 22, where he has held a series of high-level meetings with foreign leaders, as well as a visit to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania and an address to the U.N. General Assembly.
Zelensky thanked Harris for her commitment to Kyiv and said, "we are grateful to America for supporting Ukraine."
In her remarks, Harris reiterated her support for Ukraine and warned that a Russian victory would lead to further aggression and cause other nations with imperialist ambitions to be "emboldened."
Harris said that she had "told world leaders (at the U.N.), nothing about the end of this war can be decided without Ukraine."
But she added that "there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations."
"These proposals are the same as those of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, and let us be clear, these are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable."
While she did not mention anyone by name, some in the Republican Party, reportedly including presidential nominee Donald Trump, have suggested that Ukraine could cede territory in exchange for peace.
At a rally on Sept. 24, Trump vowed to get the U.S. "out" of the war in Ukraine if elected president.
Trump's rhetoric against Zelensky and U.S. support for Ukraine has grown harsher in recent days. He has claimed that Zelensky wants Democrats to win the upcoming presidential election and referred to him as "the greatest salesman on earth."
Republican Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance said in an interview with Shawn Ryan earlier in September that Trump's plan to end Russia's war could include the establishment of a special demilitarized zone between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine would retain its sovereignty, but at the same time, it would have to give guarantees to Russia that it would not join NATO or any other allied institutions, Vance added.
Asami Terajima
(Updated: )
