Zelensky has earned his welcome in Washington – and Biden is right to provide it

The visit of Volodymyr Zelensky to meet Joe Biden in Washington is a sign of quiet confidence on the part of the Ukrainian leader. He could not have made such a visit before because his country was in so much peril and he needed to spend every moment in his own land, leading the impressive resistance that the people of Ukraine have organised since the Russian invasion 11 months ago. Indeed, the Kremlin expected Mr Zelensky to leave his country at the start of the Russian offensive but only to flee into exile as his people, supposedly, were welcoming their liberators. Things didn’t quite turn out that way.

Now, at this emotionally charged time of the year, the two presidents will be able to meet at a moment when the fighting has to some extent subsided and the Russian forces have been pushed back. This is thanks in no small part to the supply of weaponry, intelligence and financial support from the West, to which the United States has been by far the largest contributor, and is an achievement that is rightly celebrated by Ukraine and its allies.

Despite reports of some irritation on the part of Mr Biden at Mr Zelensky’s ceaseless lobbying for more arms, America and the West seem as committed as ever to the defence of Ukraine, without resorting to the deployment of Nato forces on the ground. So far, this approach has worked well, and the latest initiative – to supply Patriot air-defence missile systems to Ukraine – is an essential extension of it.