Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy courted a group of U.S. defense contractors this week during his visit to Washington, D.C., as he lobbied lawmakers to approve an additional $61.4 billion in funding for his country’s war effort against Russia.
Even before speaking with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. senators, and other elected officials, Zelenskyy huddled with 10 executives from the defense industry—companies that manufacture weapons of war and benefit financially from the $113 billion that Congress already has approved for the ongoing conflict in Europe.
Zelenskyy disclosed the meeting in posts on X—first a photo with about a dozen well-dressed executives and then a 77-second video with highlights from their meeting at Ukraine House in Washington.
