Pool Reports of December 12, 2023

In-town pool report #1 — gathered for departure

Good morning from the White House.

The pool is gathered for President Biden's departure. The president will speak later this morning at a campaign reception in Washington, the first event in a busy day that includes an afternoon press conference with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

Reach out with any questions.

In-town pool report #2 — rolling

Pool is loaded in the press vans, and did not see POTUS join the motorcade. We are now rolling to the campaign reception.

In-town pool report #3 — note on travelers

From the White House:

Traveling with the President via motorcade en route to a campaign reception in Washington, DC:

Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President & Counselor to the President
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Vinay Reddy, Assistant to the President & Director of Speechwriting
Ryan Montoya, Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance
Olivia Dalton, Deputy Assistant to the President & Principal Deputy Press Secretary
John McCarthy, Deputy Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor for Political Engagement
Marc Gustafson, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for the White House Situation Room

In-town pool report #4 — arrived/holding

The motorcade arrived at the Salamander hotel after a very brief, uneventful ride from the White House.

Pool is now holding, waiting for the campaign reception to start.

In-town pool report #5 — fundraiser remarks underway

The campaign reception is taking place in a small ballroom at the Salamander hotel.

Roughly 100 Biden campaign donors are seated at a dozen or so tables, nibbling on a light breakfast spread.

President Biden entered the room and took the stage at 11:54 am, after being introduced by Rosy Rosenberg.

Biden has started his remarks. More to come.

The White House passes this along:

On behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign:

The President is attending a campaign reception in Washington, DC.

Speaking Program
Lee "Rosy" Rosenberg
The President

In-town pool report #6 — rolling/fundraiser quotes

President Biden began his remarks by addressing the Israel-Hamas war.

"The safety of the Jewish people [is] literally at stake," Biden said.

Biden said he's spent hours talking with "the Qataris and Egyptians to secure the freedom of more than 100 hostages."

The president also said his administration is "implementing the first-ever national strategy to combat antisemitism" in the U.S.

Biden then turned to domestic policy. He said he has presided over "record job creation," rebuilt America's alliances around the world, signed gun safety legislation, and taken action on climate change, among other issues.

"We know that all the progress is at stake in the next election," Biden said.

"Donald Trump poses in my view many threats to this country," including to civil rights, America's standing in the world and American democracy, he said.

Biden returned to the issue of Israel and its conflict with Hamas.

"Bibi's got a tough decision to make," Biden said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"This is the most conservative government in Israel's history," Biden said, adding that the government "doesn't want a two-state solution."

Israel is starting to lose support around the world, Biden said. Netanyahu "has to strengthen and change" the Israeli government to find a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Biden concluded his remarks at 12:13 pm. Pool was ushered out of the ballroom and into the vans.

The motorcade is rolling back to the White House. Pool did not see Biden leave the hotel.

In-town pool report #7 — WH arrival

The motorcade arrived back at the White House at 12:25 pm. Your pooler did not see Biden leave the motorcade and re-enter the White House.

Next up is the Oval Office spray with POTUS and President Zelenskyy, followed by their joint press conference.

In-town pool report #8 -- Updating fundraiser quote on Israeli government "change"

Updating this quote from the fundraiser earlier today included in pool report #6, which stated that Biden said Netanyahu had to "change" the Israeli government.

Referring to Netanyahu, President Biden said, "I think he has to change, and with this government, this government in Israel is making it very difficult for him to move."

In-town pool report #9 — gathered for Oval spray

Pool is gathered for the Oval Office spray with Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy.

In-town pool report #10 — Oval remarks

Pool was led into the Oval Office at 2:31 pm.

President Biden and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine were seated in front of the fireplace.

Biden spoke first. Check quotes against transcript.

"We stand at a real inflection point in history," he said.

"Congress needs to pass the supplemental funds" to provide more aid to Ukraine, he said.

Biden also warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning to bombard Ukraine's electrical grid this winter. "We mustn't let him succeed," he said.

Zelenskyy spoke next, thanking America and other allies for supporting Ukraine.

"Ukraine can win," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy said he wanted to strengthen Ukraine's air defense system.

As the pool was asked to leave, Biden said that he had signed "another $200 million drawdown" for aid to Ukraine.

Pool was ushered out of the Oval at 2:37 pm.

In-town pool report #11 -- bilat participants

From the White House:

The President is participating in a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine:

U.S. Delegation
The President
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
General Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
T.H. Bridget Brink, Ambassador of the United States to Ukraine

Ukraine Delegation
H.E. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
H.E. Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
H.E. Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States
H.E. Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine
H.E. Roman Mashovets, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Chief Military Advisor
H.E. Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

In-town pool report #12 — gathered for press conference

Pool is gathering for President Biden and President Zelenskyy's joint press conference.

The White House is live streaming the press conference on its site.

In-town pool report #13 — two-min warning

We have a two-minute warning for the start of the press conference.

In-town pool report #14 — press conference starts

President Biden and President Zelenskyy entered the Indian Treaty Room at 5:01 pm.

As a reminder the White House is streaming this event, so your pooler will not provide a detailed summary. Watch live on the regular White House channel.

In-town pool report #15 — press conference over

The press conference ended at 5:28 pm, at which point Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy left the Indian Treaty Room.

The leaders took two questions each after making opening remarks, and did not respond to shouted questions on their way out of the room.

In-town pool report #16 -- presser highlights

Some quick highlights from the Biden-Zelenskyy press conference. Check quotes against transcript.

"Without supplemental funding we're rapidly coming to an end" of the United States' ability to back Ukraine, Biden said.

"Putin is banking on" U.S. support for Ukraine declining, Biden said.

Biden also called on Congress to reach a compromise to pass the supplemental aid package.

In his opening remarks, delivered in English, Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for its support for Ukraine, and said Ukraine was "fighting for our country and freedom."

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has "freed 50 percent of the territories that Russian won after February 24th" and has also "won the Black Sea."

The Ukrainian president said he spoke with Biden about getting U.S. support to destroy "Russian logistics on Ukraine's land," and also about strengthening Ukraine's air defense.

Zelenskyy said his conversations with the White House and members of Congress were "very productive."

The leaders each took questions from two reporters.

Asked whether Ukraine would consider ceding some territory to Russia, Zelensky, speaking in Ukrainian, said the idea was "insane, to be honest," according to the interpreter.

"We want to see Ukraine win the war," Biden said, when asked to describe the U.S. strategy for Ukraine.

The president also said in response to a question about Ukraine joining NATO: "NATO will be in Ukraine's future, no question about that," adding that "right now" the focus was on Ukraine winning the war with Russia.

In response to a question about Israel's operations in southern Gaza, Biden said that the U.S. has to support Israel, but that "the safety of innocent Palestinians is still of great concern."

In-town pool report #17 -- Travel/photo lid

The White House called a travel/photo lid at 5:49 p.m.

Have a good evening,

Foreign pool report #1 / Background on Zelenskyy's visit

Good afternoon,

I am your foreign pooler for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House.

The Ukrainian President arrived in Washington, DC on Monday morning. The trip is considered "a working visit that would include a series of meetings and discussions" (per Zelenskyy's office). The bilateral meeting in the Oval Office is scheduled for 2:15pm and will have an In-House Pool Spray at the top. It will be followed by a joint press conference at 4:15pm in the Indian Treaty Room.

This morning at 9am, Zelenskyy already addressed US senators in the Capitol and attended a private meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson. In front of the Senate, he pleaded for quick approval of more aide for the defense of his country against the Russian aggression.

On Monday, the Ukrainian President spoke to U.S. military officers at the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, DC where he was introduced by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin. Later in the day, Zelenskyy met with International Monetary Fund Director Kristalina Georgieva at the agency's headquarters. Hours before they met, the IMF improved another $900 million disbursement for Ukraine from its $15.6 billion loan program.

Zelenskyy flew in from Argentina where he had attended the inauguration of President Javier Milei over the weekend. It was Zelenskyy's first trip to Latin America since the war with Russia began. On the sidelines, he met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who is threatening to block more European Union financial support to Kyiv. He also spoke with several other European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission over the weekend. The EU is deciding this week whether to open accession talks to the bloc. Orban has signaled that he opposes and could block the move.

This will be the seventh meeting between President Biden and President Zelenskyy, and Zelenskyy's third visit to Washington since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Previous meetings:
September 1, 2021 – Washington, DC
December 21, 2022 – Washington, DC
May 21, 2023 – Hiroshima (G7 Summit)
February 20, 2023 – Kyiv
July 12, 2023 – Vilnius (NATO Summit)
September 21, 2023 – Washington, DC

Agenda:

Announcing Zelenskyy's visit, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the meeting was meant "to underscore the United States' unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia's brutal invasion."

"This is exactly the right time to have President Zelenskyy in town to have these discussions," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday, pointing to the continuing negotiations on Capitol Hill over supplemental funding for Ukraine and reports of increased Russian attacks against civilian infrastructure. Kirby said Biden plans to make clear to Zelenskyy that the White House is standing firm in its request to provide billions in additional aid to Ukraine. He added that Zelenskyy is traveling to Washington in response to an invitation from Biden.

President Zelenskyy's office said in a statement on Sunday that he would "focus on securing unity among the US, Europe and the rest of the world in supporting Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, as well as strengthening the international order based on rules and respect for the sovereignty of nations."

In his speech at the NDU, Zelenskyy pleaded for additional US military aid. "Ukrainians haven't given up and won't give up. We know what to do and you can count on Ukraine, and we hope just as much to be able to count on you." He thanked the US for the aid it has provided so far, which Zelenskyy has said has helped protect his citizens from missile attacks. "Ukraine is the first front," Zelenskyy said. "But we've got to make sure, and we can make sure, it doesn't come to having a second or third front against freedom somewhere in the Baltic countries, or another part of the world." Delays on Capitol Hill over funding would only help Russian leader Vladimir Putin, he added.

US assistance for Ukraine:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit in Washington takes place while Congress negotiates a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. According to the Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young the Congress already has allocated $111 billion to assist Ukraine, including $67 billion in military procurement funding, $27 billion for economic and civil assistance and $10 billion for humanitarian aid. All of it, other than about 3% of the military funding, had been depleted by mid-November (per Young).

The Biden administration has said it has slowed the pace of some military assistance to Kyiv in recent weeks to try to stretch supplies until Congress approves more funding.

Since February 2022, the Biden administration and US Congress have directed more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial, and military support, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute. Not included is all war-related US spending, such as aid to allies. According to the Kiel Institute, the US has supplied roughly half of the military aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Europe has overtaken the United States in promised aid to Ukraine. The European Union and its member states have made available over $91 billion in financial, military, humanitarian, and refugee assistance for Ukraine (source: Eurostat).

But the overall dynamics of support to Ukraine have slowed. Newly committed aid has reached a new low between August to October 2023—an almost 90 percent drop compared to the same period in 2022, per the Kiel Institute.

Zelenskyy's Bio:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was born in Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine on January 25, 1978. Like many people from Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, he grew up as a native Russian speaker, but he is also fluent in Ukrainian and English. Zelenskyy received a law degree from Kyiv National Economic University but decided to pursue a career as an actor, comedian, script writer and producer. In 2015, he played a schoolteacher who was elected president in a popular television series called Servant of the People. In 2019, he won the presidential election in Ukraine, unseating Petro Poroshenko.

Zelenskyy remains one of the most popular politicians in Ukraine. His popularity skyrocketed after the Russian invasion. But with Ukraine's counteroffensive being stalled, pessimism is growing. According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, the Ukrainian public's trust in government fell from 74 percent in May of 2022 to 39 percent in October of this year. Trust in Zelenskyy fell from 91 percent in May of 2022 to 76 percent in October 2023.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska have two children – daughter Oleksandra and son Kyrylo.

Foreign pool report #2 / Arrival

President Zelenskyy arrived at the West Wing doors at 1:42pm in a black SUV. He was greeted by the U.S. Chief of Protocol.

The Ukrainian embassy didn't respond to a request about their delegation.

Foreign pool report #3 / Delegation

According to an official from the Ukrainian embassy, Zelenskyy is accompanied by Ambassador Oksana Markarowa, the Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak as well as the Minister of Strategic Industries, Alexander Kamyshin.

Foreign pool report #4 / Gathering

Pool is gathering now in the briefing room for the bilateral of Biden and Zelenskyy.

Foreign pool report #5 / Oval Office

The pool entered the Oval Office at 2:32pm. Both leaders were sitting next to each other, Biden on the right side, Zelenskyy on the left. After POTUS' remarks, Zelenskyy spoke in English for approximately three minutes.

He thanked President Biden. He said: "We have specifically defeated Russia in the Black Sea..."

Zelenskyy talked about meeting with the IMF and the World Bank, and they were "impressed with Ukraine's economy growth, almost five percent".

He also said that he met with the heads of American defense companies yesterday and thanked them.

Then he said: "We also have to walk faster with the frozen Russian assets – over 300 billion frozen assets from terrorists and we should use it to protect against Russians war".

As usual please check the quotes against the official transcript.

The pool was escorted out at 2:37 pm.

Neither one answered to shouted questions.

More quotes to follow.

Foreign pool report #6 / Bilat participants

From the White House:

The President is participating in a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine:

U.S. Delegation
The President
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
General Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
T.H. Bridget Brink, Ambassador of the United States to Ukraine

Ukraine Delegation
H.E. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
H.E. Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
H.E. Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States
H.E. Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine
H.E. Roman Mashovets, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Chief Military Advisor
H.E. Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Foreign pool report #7 / Zelenskyy's quotes from the Oval Office

President Zelenskyy's quotes from the Oval Office:

US support:

"I'm really glad to be here at the White House today and share some very important messages. Thank you for invitation."

The war:

"And today this special day, especially for Ukraine, Ukrainian people, Ukrainian land forces with almost 600,000 incredibly brave Ukrainian sons and daughters are on the battlefield. .. This is their day and they prove every day that Ukraine can win and our forces are advancing and we have successfully defeated Russia in the Black Sea." … And meanwhile, Ukraine has set up an export corridor in the Black Sea that's really boosting our economy and global food security.

Meetings:

Yesterday I met with IMF and World Bank. They are impressed with Ukraine's economy growth - almost 5%. And that's significant. Ukraine is gradually becoming less dependent on aid, and we are moving in the right direction. And I want to discuss with the president how to strengthen especially enhancing our air defenses' ability to destroy Russia's logistics. Our goals are to take away Russia's superiority and disrupt the offensive operations."

"Met with the heads of American defense industries… really powerful companies. I thanked them and thanked all the workers, engineers, managers who build the strength of American workers…"

Expectation:

"President Biden agreed, and we spoke about it in September to join weapons production which is very important for us and we'll discuss how to speed up this. We also need to walk faster with the frozen rushed assets - over 300 billion frozen assets from terrorists and we should use it to protect against Russians war."

"And I want to talk about some details regarding our EU integration. … It's very important that we are successful. I think that's very important. People need to be confident that freedom is secure and strong enough to win."

Please check the quotes against the official transcript

Foreign pool report #8 / Full remarks Zelenskyy

Thanks to Dimitry Anopchenko from Ukrainian TV, here is the full text of Zelenskyy's remarks (the audio was not too good today):

„Mr. President, dear journalists,
I'm really glad to be here at the White House today to share some very important messages.
I'd like to thank America and our partners for their support. And today is a special day for Ukraine – it's the Day of our Land Forces – almost 600 thousand incredibly brave Ukrainian sons and daughters. They're very powerful – and they prove every day that Ukraine can win. Particularly today, one of our brigades brought the Ukrainian flag back to the territory of the city of Horlivka – one of the cities of Donbas, which had been occupied since 2014. A quarter of a million people lived there. Our forces are advancing. And we've successfully defeated Russia in the Black Sea. Russia is hiding the remnants of its naval fleet in remote bays. Meanwhile, Ukraine has set up an export corridor in the Black Sea that's really boosting our economy and global food stability. Yesterday, I met with the IMF Director and the World Bank head. They're impressed with Ukraine's economic growth, almost 5%. That's significant. Ukraine is gradually becoming less dependent on aid. We are moving in the right direction. I want to discuss with President Biden how to strengthen it. Especially, enhancing our air defense and ability to destroy Russia's logistics. Our goals for '24th are clear – take away Russia's air superiority and disrupt their offensive operations. It is real.
Also, some other important things – I met with the heads of American defense companies yesterday. Really powerful companies. I thanked them – all the workers, engineers, managers who build the strength of American weapons. Helping Ukraine boosts the development of Arsenals of democracy. President Biden and I agreed on joint weapon production – and we'll do it. Today, we'll discuss how to speed this up. We also need to work faster with the frozen Russian assets – over 300 billion from terrorists. We should use it to protect against Russian terror. I want to talk about some details. Regarding our reforms and EU integration, Ukraine continues to reform its institutions even during the war. And we're successful and that's important.
People need to be confident that freedom is secure and strong enough to win.
Thank you!"

Foreign pool report #9 / Gathering

Pool and pre-credentialed press is gathering now at the stake-out location for the joint press conference of Biden and Zelenskyy.

Foreign pool report #10 / 2 min warning

Two minute warning for the press conference of Biden and Zelenskyy. Just a reminder: The White House is streaming it live on its website.

From the White House:

The President is participating in a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine:

U.S. Delegation
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
General Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
T.H. Bridget Brink, Ambassador of the United States to Ukraine
T.H. Mike Donilon, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President
T.H. Karine Jean- Pierre, Assistant to the President and Press Secretary
T.H. Ben LaBolt, Assistant to the President and Director of Communications
T.H. John Kirby, Deputy Assistant to the President & NSC Coordinator for Strategic Comms
T.H. Carlyn Reichel, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Speechwriting & Strategic Initiatives

Ukraine Delegation
H.E. Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
H.E. Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States
H.E. Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine
H.E. Roman Mashovets, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Chief Military Advisor
H.E. Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Foreign pool report #11 / Press conference

Biden and Zelenskyy walked in at 5:01pm. After POTUS remarks, the Ukrainian President spoke for about 6 minutes.

Some quotes from Zelenskyy:

- „In Ukraine, we are also fighting for your freedom."

- „Ukraine can now tackle Russian dictatorship."

- „Who controls the skies, controls the war's direction."

- „Ukraine has fulfilled all the expectations pf the European Commission."

He thanked the US „for the bipartisan support".

The two leaders are taking questions now.

Foreign pool report #12 / Q&A

Zelenskyy answered questions in Ukrainian and one in English. I tried to get the translation - these is the rough transcript. Please check against the official transcript.

He answered one about the stalled counter offensive and if he heard what he wanted:

"About successes, I think that's where we work quite serious, serious steps forward. In this we gain victory on the sea. We destroyed ships of the Russian Federation, we throw the remnants of their fleet to Russian territorial waters. Yes, they have some scene in the Black Sea in the vicinity of our temporarily occupied Crimea, but we are going to proceed this activity that our guys destroyed 20,000 of these are serious terrorists who were messing everywhere on African continent in Syria. In Ukraine. There were a lot of mass and nucleus of these touristic organization is not existing anymore. Yes, we had a lot of problems but nonetheless, we were able to do this. Moreover, Russia was not able to save any part of our territory any village and in town, I'm not talking about large cities. And we are going to proceed with this. It goes without saying that we have a clear plan, but if you allow me, I am not able to tell you the details of 2024 operations."

"If I heard what I want? I've heard a lot surely. I told what I wanted to I feel and experiences support from President Biden administration, from senators and we've been talking with the speaker. I got the signal they were more than positive, but we know that we have to separate words and particular result. Therefore, we will count on particular result."

Considering go give up territory?

"Insane that Ukraine is giving up its territory… We are mentioning Gods very often. This is not about Christianity. We have our people there. We have our families there. We have children there that's part of Ukrainian society and we are talking about human being. They are being tortured. They have been raped and they have been killed. And those voices which refers to give up our territories, the offers as well to give up our people. That's not a matter of territory, that is a matter of lives of families, of children, of their histories. I don't know whose idea it is. But I have a question to this people if they are ready to give up their children to terrorists. I think no."

Second term of Trump the end for Ukraine?

"I was talking to representatives of both parties .. Both pledged full support ,,Ukraine will not remain alone against Russia"

NATO summit - expectations? Do you expect to be directly invited?

"We are allies but not members of NATO, therefore I will pass this question to our big friend."

Press conference ended at 5:28pm and the presidents left the Indian Treaty Room.

That's from me today. Have a great rest of the day!