Biden Meets With Zelensky, Pledges Continued U.S. Support for Ukraine

“The American people have been with you every step of the way, and we will stay with you for as long as it takes,” Mr. Biden said.

In emotional remarks in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Zelensky underscored the toll the war has taken on the Ukrainian people and made clear that he would not accept an outcome that led to a loss of Ukrainian territory. “As a father, I would like to emphasize how many parents lost their sons and daughters on the front lines. So what is just peace for them?” he asked.

Mr. Biden condemned Russian President

Vladimir Putin

for “trying to use winter as a weapon,” and warned that the conflict is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Mr. Putin “has no intention—no intention—of stopping this cruel war and the U.S. is committed to ensuring that the brave Ukrainian people can continue to defend their country against Russian aggression as long as it takes,” Mr. Biden said.

Mr. Zelensky, who previously visited the White House in 2021, said he was honored to return, in his first trip outside his home country since Russia’s invasion last February. Wearing olive green military attire, he offered “all my appreciation from my heart and from the heart of all Ukrainians,” and presented Mr. Biden with a medal previously awarded to a Ukrainian captain.

Mr. Zelensky’s trip, which will include an address to a joint meeting of Congress later in the evening, was shrouded in secrecy and came on the 300th day of the conflict. The pre-Christmas visit came ahead of what is expected to be a difficult winter in Ukraine, which has withstood months of Russian bombardment and attacks on the country’s infrastructure, leaving many civilians without heat or electricity.

During the meeting, the Biden administration announced a new roughly $1.8 billion security-aid package for Ukraine. It includes for the first time a Patriot antimissile battery, as well as equipment that converts unguided munitions into precision-guided missiles. Ukraine’s electrical grid and other infrastructure have been pummeled by ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones that Russia acquired from Iran.

But the new assistance doesn’t include the U.S. aircraft, American tanks and long-range U.S. Army Tactical Missile System that Kyiv has long been seeking as it tries to push Russian troops out of southern and eastern Ukraine.

While the two leaders were careful not to publicly disagree about strategy, a brief exchange underscored the tension between Kyiv and Washington over the pace and scope of military aid.

During Wednesday’s news conference, a Ukrainian reporter asked Mr. Biden whether the U.S. should provide Kyiv with everything it needs all at once. “His answer is ‘yes,’” Mr. Biden quipped. “I agree,” Mr. Zelensky joked.

But Mr. Biden warned that doing so could escalate the conflict and risk war spreading across Europe.

“The idea that we would give Ukraine materiel that is fundamentally different than [what] is already going there would have a prospect of breaking up NATO and breaking up the European Union and the rest of the world,” Mr. Biden said.

Mr. Biden said the U.S. delivery of the Patriot missile systems shouldn’t be seen by Russia as an escalation because they are defensive weapons. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Moscow would target any Patriot batteries that are provided to Ukraine, a threat that would force Ukraine to protect the air-defense systems.

The wartime leader is to appear before members of Congress on Wednesday night, in part to thank lawmakers who have so far approved billions of dollars in security and economic aid to help the war effort. Mr. Biden and supporters in Congress have said the aid is vital to protect North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies and preserve democracy around the world. 

Members of Congress are slated to provide an additional $44.9 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies through a fiscal 2023 spending bill. Ukraine has received several rounds of funding from the U.S., with nearly $54 billion approved as of May.

House Republicans are set to take the majority in January and likely will be resistant to more Ukraine spending. Some in the GOP conference have called for a full audit of how Washington and Kyiv have spent the money, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), who is running for House speaker, has said Republicans wouldn’t write a “blank check” for Ukraine. 

Other senior Republicans have argued for providing additional aid to Ukraine. Senate Minority Leader

Mitch McConnell

(R., Ky.) said Wednesday that supporting Kyiv was in the U.S.’s strategic interest.

“Helping equip our friends in Eastern Europe to win this war is also a direct investment in reducing Putin’s future capabilities to menace America, threaten our allies and contest our core interests,” Mr. McConnell said.

Mr. Zelensky’s visit drew comparisons to the historic wartime visit of Winston Churchill, the British prime minister who gave a speech in the Senate chamber on Dec. 26, 1941, during World War II.

“Where Winston Churchill stood generations ago, so too will President Zelensky stand here today, not just as a president, but as an ambassador of freedom itself,” said Senate Majority Leader

Chuck Schumer

(D., N.Y.).

After his meeting with Mr. Biden, the Ukrainian leader traveled to Capitol Hill. He met with departing House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi

(D., Calif.) ahead of his 7:30 p.m. ET speech to Congress.

Mrs. Pelosi invited Mr. Zelensky to speak at the Capitol and she encouraged all House lawmakers to travel to Washington. Many House lawmakers had been hesitant to travel to the Capitol because of impending storms across the U.S. The Senate is already in Washington for the week.

The security package the administration announced on Wednesday includes Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits, which can make unguided bombs more precise using, among other things, global positioning systems. The aid also includes artillery and mortar rounds, as well as rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers, or Himars.

Administration officials cautioned that it would take some time to train Ukrainian troops on how to operate the Patriot missile-defense systems; other U.S. officials said it is unlikely that the Patriot battery could be deployed in Ukraine before the spring. The training is expected to be carried out in Germany, U.S. officials have said.

Mr. Zelensky’s trip to the U.S. is the product of a week of secret talks between officials in Kyiv and Washington, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Senior officials in Congress and at the White House sought to keep Mr. Zelensky’s visit under wraps, fearing that the Ukrainian leader’s security could be at risk as he made the dangerous trip by train from Ukraine to Poland.

—Natalie Andrews and Lindsay Wise contributed to this article.

Write to Ken Thomas at ken.thomas@wsj.com and Andrew Restuccia at andrew.restuccia@wsj.com