Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with European Command chief Gen. Christopher Cavoli in Wiesbaden, Germany, Dec. 14, 2023, to discuss U.S. military assistance. (Susanne Goebel/U.S. European Command)
STUTTGART, Germany — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an unannounced stop at the U.S. Army’s headquarters in Germany on Thursday, where he and top American commanders discussed continued support for Ukraine as it fights Russia.
The Zelenskyy meeting in Wiesbaden came after talks earlier in the week in Washington, where he urged Congress to continue providing military aid.
“We critically need it for the victory,” Zelenskyy said in a statement after his meetings in Wiesbaden. “We expect that the U.S. Congress will soon adopt the crucial decision to continue such vital support for Ukraine.”
The U.S.’s top military commanders in Europe were on hand for the talks, including U.S. European Command’s Gen. Christopher Cavoli, who also serves as NATO supreme allied commander.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa boss Gen. Darryl Williams and Lt. Gen. Antonio Aguto Jr., who heads up the military’s Ukraine assistance program, also attended.
EUCOM said Cavoli and Zelenskyy discussed continued U.S. support to meet Ukraine’s “most urgent requirements,” including provisions in the most recent allotment of aid announced by the White House on Tuesday.
They also discussed ongoing training provided to Ukrainian forces by U.S. service members and their international partners.
The Army’s headquarters in Wiesbaden is the main hub for the military’s effort to coordinate aid for Ukraine. Representatives from numerous countries work out of USAREUR-AF’s headquarters.
The gathering in Wiesbaden comes at a turning point in Ukraine’s war against Russia, which is now a virtual stalemate. After Ukraine’s counteroffensive this year failed to produce substantial gains, concerns are growing about the country’s strategy and its ability to push Russian forces out of entrenched positions. Ukraine also is facing a manpower problem after nearly two years of fighting.
Those concerns are compounded by uncertainty over future American support. With Congress locked in a funding dispute, the Pentagon is running out of resources to keep the weapons flowing into Ukraine.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday pledged that he would “not walk away from Ukraine.”
But without a budget deal, Ukraine’s war prospects are grim, Biden acknowledged.
“Congress needs to pass funding before [its] break for recess,” Biden said. “Before they give Putin the greatest Christmas gift they can possibly give him.”
