Volodymyr Zelensky meets Joe Biden in Washington

[ad_1]

The White House said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Washington on Wednesday, his first trip outside the country since the Russian invasion.

Zelensky will visit the White House first, where he will meet US President Joe Biden and members of his national security team. Biden will announce nearly $2 billion in new security assistance, including the Patriot missile defense system that Kyiv has requested as Russia ramps up attacks on energy infrastructure.

Zelensky will then participate in a joint session of Congress before heading to Ukraine, concluding a short, high-stakes visit that was shrouded in secrecy due to security concerns.

“The visit will underscore the United States’ unwavering commitment to support Ukraine for as long as possible, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance,” White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

His visit comes as lawmakers vote this week on a $1.7 trillion annual spending bill that includes nearly $45 billion to aid the war-torn country.

The Ukrainian president has been looking for an opportunity to travel to Washington since the summer, according to officials close to him, who said security is the biggest problem standing in the way.

Biden and Zelensky discussed a potential visit when they spoke on the phone Dec. 11, and the White House followed it up with a formal invitation last Wednesday. A senior Biden administration official said Zelensky’s team confirmed on Sunday that he would come.

And officials in Kyiv said Zelensky would want to tie any visit to a major request for lethal assistance, such as the Patriot system, from the Biden administration.

The senior US administration official said Washington would train Ukrainian forces how to use a Patriot missile battery in a third country, and US forces would not be in Ukraine to assist in its operation, adding that it would “take some time” to direct the forces. before using the system.

During a visit to Pakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, Ukrainian forces gave Zelensky a national flag that she signed to pass to the US Congress for their support.

A source close to the president’s office said that Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, will not be joining Zelensky on the trip.

The visit comes after the ranking Republican member of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, said it would become more difficult to pass additional aid to Ukraine next year when his party took control of the House of Representatives.

Asked if Zelensky’s visit was meant to send a message to Republicans in Congress, the senior Biden official said the administration was confident it would maintain bipartisan support for the effort.

It is not about sending a message to a particular political party. This, the official said, is about sending a message to Putin and sending a message to the world that America will be there for Ukraine as long as it takes.

Recommended

However, Zelensky’s visit could put additional pressure on House Republicans who plan to vote against the sweeping spending bill. It is expected to pass regardless, with the support of House Democrats as well as bipartisan support in the Senate.

Biden said he would talk to Vladimir Putin if the Russian leader expressed a willingness to end the war, but officials said Tuesday that Putin had shown no interest in doing so.

US officials debated the best timing and terms for Ukraine and Russia to talk. Wednesday’s visit aims to demonstrate Washington’s longstanding commitment to Ukraine as it grapples with a harsh winter and beyond.

The senior administration official said, “The president is not coming with a message about pushing, prodding, or poking Zelensky in any way. This will be a message of solidarity, support, coordination, alignment, and making sure that we position Ukraine in the best possible light for its interests and secure its objectives.”

[ad_2]