MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Washington, D.C., today, seeking President Biden's support for a strategy to end the war on Ukraine's terms.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Zelenskyy says protecting Ukraine will also keep Europe and the West safe. He warned the U.N. General Assembly that Russia was preparing to strike Ukraine's nuclear power plants.
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PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: A day like that must never come.
MARTIN: Former President Trump, however, is accusing Zelenskyy of dragging out the war and vows to cut aid to the country if he's elected. With me now is NPR Ukraine correspondent Joanna Kakissis who's in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Joanna, thank you so much for being here.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: You're welcome.
MARTIN: Let's start with this plan, which Zelenskyy calls his victory plan. Can you tell us about it?
KAKISSIS: Sure. Zelenskyy's team has kept the plan's details under wraps. But broadly, he wants much quicker action by President Biden on issues Zelenskyy say could strengthen Ukraine and keep Russia from dictating any peace terms. These issues include supporting an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO as soon as possible and lifting restrictions on the use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles, like ATACMS. Ukraine wants to use these missiles to hit military targets, like arms depots, deep in Russia. Here in Kyiv, we spoke to a Ukrainian soldier, 23-year-old Vyacheslav Yurchak. He believes these strikes will weaken Russia's ability to supply its troops in Ukraine. He's puzzled by this restriction.
VYACHESLAV YURCHAK: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: He's saying, "look. They give us these long-range weapons but say we can't use them. It's like giving me a machine gun and saying, the enemy is a hundred meters away but don't shoot him."
MARTIN: So we hear, you know, here in Washington that the White House has been cautious because it's trying to avoid escalating tensions. So tell us more about how Ukrainians view this attitude.
KAKISSIS: Yeah, they're frustrated. We've spoken to Ukrainians who are very grateful to the U.S. for helping their country survive this war, but they say they doubt that the U.S. actually wants Ukraine to win. Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian cities, killing civilians, destroying power plants. Ukrainians see Russia is getting more aggressive, like this threat of attacking nuclear power plants, as Zelenskyy mentioned.
MARTIN: Are the Ukrainians worried enough to consider a deal - an unpleasant deal - like swapping territory occupied by Russia in exchange for some kind of cease-fire?
KAKISSIS: So, yeah - so that's a good question because recent polls are showing an increasing number of Ukrainians willing to consider this, but most are still categorically against it. Let's hear from Vika Stuzhuk. She's a 32-year-old financial consultant.
VIKA STUZHUK: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: She got very emotional talking to producer Polina Lytvynova. Stuzhuk's relatives and friends were killed in this war, and she does not want them to have died in vain. We also spoke to Serhii Kuzan. He's a defense analyst in Kyiv, and he said, "look. Russia first invaded Ukraine 10 years ago, and it hasn't stopped attacking us since."
SERHII KUZAN: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: He's saying, "we will keep fighting no matter how much of Ukraine is occupied because there is no other way."
MARTIN: Before we let you go, how are Ukrainians viewing the upcoming U.S. election?
KAKISSIS: So Ukrainians are actually following it very closely, and those we spoke to are worried about Donald Trump winning. They see him as ill-informed about the geopolitics and the context of this war. They believe he is too enamored of Russian President Vladimir Putin. And it didn't help that Trump also refused to meet Zelenskyy this week, because Ukraine's leadership, it has tried very hard to cultivate both political parties. And now Zelenskyy will meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris, and Biden at least is expected to announce a surge in security assistance to Ukraine today.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Joanna Kakissis. Joanna, thank you.
KAKISSIS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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