Volodymyr Zelenskyy kicks off key US trip with visit to ammunition factory
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has kicked off an important trip to the US this week with a visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania.
The site, which Sky News visited in 2023, produces critically needed munitions for his country’s fight against Russia.
Democratic representative Matt Cartwright, who was among those meeting Mr Zelenskyy at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, said that the Ukrainian leader had a simple message: “Thank you. And we need more.”
Mr Zelenskyy faces a busy week in the US as he works to shore up support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
He is due to speak at the UN General Assembly annual gathering in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, and travel to Washington on Thursday for talks with President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Scranton plant. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Recent weeks have seen Mr Zelenskyy pushing the US, and other Western allies, for permission to use longer-range missile systems to strike deeper into Russia.
So far the Pentagon and White House have not green-lit the loosening of restrictions. There has been hesitation due to the possibility of a US-made missile hitting Moscow, which could escalate the war.
Mr Zelenskyy will also present his “victory plan” to the US – of which the long-range weapons systems are said to be key.
But his trip comes at a key juncture for his country, as a victory for Donald Trump in the 5 November US presidential elections could prompt a reset of Washington’s policy on Ukraine.
During a TV debate earlier this month, Mr Trump refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to defeat Russia and said he would try to end the war before taking office if he wins.
The area around the plant was sealed off ahead of Mr Zelenskyy’s trip on Sunday, with rubbish trucks positioned as roadblocks and a heavy police presence visible.
As Mr Zelenskyy’s motorcade entered the ammunition plant, a small contingent of supporters waved Ukrainian flags nearby.
“It’s unfortunate that we need a plant like this, but it’s here, and it’s here to protect the world,” said Vera Kowal Krewson, a first-generation Ukrainian American who was among the small crowd. “And I strongly feel that way.”
A small group of supporters waved Ukrainian flags during Mr Zelenskyy’s visit to the munitions plant. Pic: AP
Mr Zelenskyy speaking during his visit to the plant. Pic: Reuters
Laryssa Salak, 60, whose parents also immigrated from Ukraine, said she was pleased Mr Zelenskyy came to thank the workers.
But she said it upset her that funding for Ukraine’s defence against Russia divided Americans, and that even some of her friends opposed the support, saying the money should instead go to help Americans.
“But they don’t understand that that money does not directly go to Ukraine,” Ms Salak said. “It goes to American factories that manufacture, like here, like the ammunition. So that money goes to American workers as well. And a lot of people don’t understand that.”
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The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the US that manufactures 155mm artillery shells and it has stepped up production in the last year.
These are used in howitzer systems, which are highly valued by ground forces in taking out enemy targets from a distance.
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At one point in the war, Ukraine was firing between 6,000-8,000 155mm shells per day.
The rate started to deplete US stockpiles, prompting concern.
In response, the US invested in restarting production lines and now manufactures more than 40,000 155mm shells a month – with plans to hit 100,000 a month.
Thousands of people gathered in various cities across the US as protests against Donald Trump and Elon Musk took place in all 50 states on Saturday.
Around 1,200 demonstrations were planned in locations including Washington DC, New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida – just miles away from where the US president has this weekend played golf.
The “Hands Off!” protests were against the Trump administration’s handling of government downsizing, human rights and the economy, among other issues.
In Washington DC, protesters streamed on the grass in front of the Washington Monument, where one person carried a banner which read: “Make democracy great again.”
Thousands gathered in Washington DC to rally against various Trump policies. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Another protester took aim at Mr Trump‘s handling of Russia and Ukraine, with a placard that read: “Stop Putin’s puppets from destroying America.”
Tesla boss Mr Musk also featured on many signs due to his role in controversial government cuts as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Demonstrators in NYC. Pic: AP
People marching in Atlanta, Georgia. Pic: Reuters
A rally in Vermont. Pic: The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist, said she drove to the rally to protest Mr Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education”.
“I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is,” she added.
A drone view of the protest at the Utah State Capitol building. Pic Reuters
A protester sports a Handmaid’s Tale costume. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Some at the various protests carried Ukrainian flags, while others sported rainbow attire and waved rainbow flags in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Other protesters wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and carried “Free Palestine” signs.
Thousands marched in New York City’s midtown Manhattan and in Boston, Massachusetts, while hundreds gathered in the sunshine outside the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, and in the rain outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio.
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Mr Trump – who shook financial markets with his tariffs announcement this week – spent the day in Florida, playing a round of golf before returning to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
People protest in Manhattan. Pic: Reuters
Activists in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Pic: AP
Some four miles from Mar-a-Lago, more than 400 people gathered – and drivers honked their horns in support of protesters who held up signs including one which read: “Markets tank, Trump golfs.”
The White House has said Mr Trump plans to go golfing again on Sunday.
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