Washington, 27 September 2024 (dpa/MIA) — Outgoing US President Joe Biden released another $2.4 billion in military aid to Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House on Thursday.

The package includes another Patriot air-defence system, long-range bombs and drones. Biden also said that another $5.5 billion was set to flow to Ukraine before his term ends in January.

Additionally, the US will support the training of another 18 Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. The US-made jets are provided by other countries, but the US government participates in the training programme.

Biden said it was "clear we stand with Ukraine now and in the future" as he sat alongside Zelensky in the Oval Office before the two leaders went into their closed-door meeting.

Zelensky thanked Biden for his "strong support" and said the latest aid package was "a great help."

He also met with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee going up against Republican Donald Trump in November's presidential election.

Harris said her support for Ukraine was "unwavering" and that any proposal to end the war that would force Kiev to cede territory "is dangerous and unacceptable."

"I've been proud to stand with Ukraine. I will continue to stand with Ukraine, and I will work to ensure Ukraine prevails in this war," Harris said.

"To be safe, secure, and prosperous, the United States must continue to fulfill our long-standing role of global leadership."

In a clear allusion to her rival Trump, Harris said: "There are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations."

"These proposals are the same as those of Putin," she said. "They are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable."

Zelensky's visit comes as the partisan divide in Washington over Ukraine grows, with Trump and many of his Republican supporters expressing deep reservations about sending more aid to Ukraine as it fights Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

Trump is planning to meet with Zelensky on Friday, Trump told a press conference.

The meeting between the two had appeared out of the question after remarks made by the former president at a rally in North Carolina on Wednesday.

"We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal," Trump said, criticizing Zelensky for not making an agreement with Moscow to end the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"So many dead people, any deal, even the worst deal, would have been better than what we have right now," Trump continued.

Ukraine and its allies are anxiously watching the US presidential elections. Trump has expressed deep scepticism of the NATO military alliance that supports Ukraine while his hard-right Republicans are increasingly opposed to continued aid for Kiev.

To help buttress support no matter what the coming months bring, the Biden administration announced that a high-level meeting on Ukraine would be held in Germany next month to coordinate the efforts of more than 50 supporting countries.

Zelensky is in Washington to urge Kiev's key ally to support what he calls Ukraine's "victory plan," which contains military and diplomatic components, including negotiations with Russia.

Concrete details of the plan have yet to be released, but it is also expected to include Zelensky's request that Kiev be allowed to use long-range Western missiles on targets deep inside Russia.

As Ukraine's battlefield losses mount in the east of the country, Zelensky hopes taking the fight to Russian territory could deliver severe blows and help shift the momentum.

But those authorizations have yet to come from the United States and Britain amid fears those types of attacks could escalate the two-and-a-half-year-old war. Germany is staunchly opposed.