Selenskyj: The world cannot wait until the US election to take measures to counter Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that decisive action must be taken to counter Russia’s offensive against his country before the US presidential election in November.
“It is time to step out of the shadows and make strong decisions and not wait until November or another month arrives. We must all be strong and uncompromising together,” Zelensky said.
Speaking in Washington, four months before an election marked by new uncertainty following President Joe Biden’s shaky debate performance, he directed his message to Republicans, whose anti-NATO president appears to be in a better position to reclaim the presidency.
The President of the United States, Zelensky added, must be “uncompromising in defending democracy and uncompromising towards (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his entourage.”
Zelensky’s latest visit to Washington came against the backdrop of a new aid pledge – Biden announced on Tuesday that NATO allies will send dozens of air defense systems to Ukraine – but also ahead of an election that could bring about a change of power. Zelensky said he hoped the election campaign would not lead to a political realignment.
The Ukrainian president sought to minimize the potential fallout from an election victory by Donald Trump, who is a NATO skeptic and has criticized the Biden administration’s support for Kyiv during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Zelensky spoke at the Reagan Institute, named after Republican icon Ronald Reagan, and his appeal for support was aimed at an audience of GOP heavyweights that included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.