Remarks by Vice President Harris and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine Before Bilateral Meeting

Vice President’s Ceremonial Office
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

3:46 P.M. EDT

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  Well, President Zelenskyy, it is good to see you again.  This is our seventh visit together.  And welcome back to Washington, D.C.

As I have made clear on our six previous meetings and throughout Putin’s brutal aggression and war against Ukraine, my support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering. 

I have been proud to stand with Ukraine.  I will continue to stand with Ukraine.  And I will work to ensure Ukraine prevails in this war. 

To be safe, secure, and prosperous, the United States must continue to fulfill our long-standing role of global leadership.  We must stand with our allies and our partners.  We must des- — defend our democratic values and stand up to aggressors.  And we must stand for international order, rules, and norms.  Each one of these principles is at stake in Ukraine, and that is why Ukraine’s fight matters to the people of America. 

The Ukrainian people are bravely defending their homes and their homeland, their freedom, and their democracy against a brutal dictator, and the American people know well the meaning of freedom, of independence, and the importance of rule of law.  These ideals are central to who we are as Americans, and some of the most important moments in our history have come when we stood up to aggressors like Putin just as we must today. 

Indeed, standing with our friends and defending our ideals against tyranny has helped make America the most powerful and prosperous nation in the world.  Putin’s aggression is not only an attack on the people of Ukraine, it is also an attack on fundamental principles such as sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

 International rules and norms are not some abstract notion.  They provide order and stability in our world.  They support American security and American prosperity.  And when they are threatened anywhere, they are threatened everywhere. 

History has shown us if we allow aggressors like Putin to take land with impunity, they keep going.  And Putin could set his sights on Poland, the Baltic states, and other NATO Allies.  We also know that other would-be aggressors around the world are watching to see what happens in Ukraine.  If Putin is allowed to win, they will become emboldened.  And history reminds us and history is so clear in reminding us: The United States cannot and should not isolate ourselves from the rest of the world.  Isolation is not insulation. 

 So, then, the United States supports Ukraine not out of charity but because it is in our strategic interest.  We will continue to provide the security assistance Ukraine needs to succeed on the battlefield, as demonstrated by President Biden’s significant announcement earlier today.

I’ve been proud to work alongside President Biden and the 50-nation coalition we have built up to allow Ukraine to defend itself.  Thanks to this coalition and the skill and the bravery of the Ukrainian people, along with your courageous leadership, President Zelenskyy, Ukraine has stood up to Russia’s aggression, and today Kyiv stands free and strong. 

President Zelenskyy, I am clear: Putin started this war, and he could end it tomorrow if he simply withdrew his troops from Ukraine’s sovereign territory.  Of course, he has demonstrated no intention of doing that.  Instead, he continues to assault civilian infrastructure and terrorize the people of Ukraine.

In Switzerland, in June, along with 90 other nations at the Uka- — at the Ukraine peace conference, I told you that the United States shares your vision for the end of this war, an end based on the will of the people of Ukraine and the U.N. Charter, and that m- — we must work with the international community se- — to secure a just and lasting peace.  And I told world leaders there: Nothing about the end of this war can be decided without Ukraine. 

However, in candor, I share with you, Mr. President, 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 of those of Putin.  And let us be clear: They are not proposals for peace.  Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.

So, President Zelenskyy, I look forward to our discussion today, and I will continue to work with you to ensure Ukraine prevails in this conflict and remains a free, democratic, and independent nation. 

Welcome back, again. 

PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY:  Thank you so much.  Madam Vice President, thanks for invitation.  Happy to see you.

Dear journalists, I want to especially thank you for your participation in the peace summit.  And, really, it was very important, and we remember it.  The format was successful.  We are preparing the second one. 

And now, we have to end this war.  We need a just peace, and we must protect our people — Ukrainian families, Ukrainian children, and everyone — from Putin’s evil.  And we are grateful to America for supporting Ukraine all along. 

And we’ll have an important meeting today, right after I talked to President Biden about the plan of victory, and I will share some details of the plan with Vice President Harris.  It’s crucial for us to — to be fully understandable and to work in a full coordination with the United States. 

And this morning, I talked also to — to the congressmen, both chambers, both parties.  And I am thankful for their bipartisan support.  We believe this war can be won and just peace can be close only with a — with the United States. 

Madam Vice President, this is our — you said seventh meeting?

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  Seventh.

PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY:  Yeah, and it’s not last.  And the third meeting — as far as I remember, the third meeting this year. 

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  Yes.

PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY:  Thank you.  And I want to inform you about the latest developments on the battlefield, of course, and about Ukraine’s actions in the Kursk region, on what has been achieved and the ambitions ahead.

Today, we have a new strong support package, as you said, and we have common view on the things that need to be done.  We have to keep pressure on Russia to stop the war and to make truly lasting and just peace.  It’s a top priority for us and for other freedom-loving nations to achieve not a freezing but real — real peace for us. 

So, we need to keep sanctions against Russia strong, and we need to use the proceeds from immobilized Russian assets to protect Ukraine — our people, our cities, our front line — from Russian evil.  And, of course, we must work hard to bring all Russian war criminals to justice. 

And one more thing.  I want to inform Madam Vice President about the latest Russian missile and the Shaheds attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.  We need to urgently strengthen Ukraine’s air defense to save thousands of lives and reduce Russian terror to zero. 

It’s achievable. 

Thank you, again.  Thanks, America.  Thanks to you, Madam Vice President. 

Slava Ukraini.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  Thank you.

PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY:  Thank you so much.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  It’s good to see you.

PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY:  Good to see you too.

                   END                     3:55 P.M. EDT