‘He should look into this’ Selenskyj invites Biden to visit Kiev
April 17, 2022, 5 pm
European Commission President von der Leyen was already there, as was British Prime Minister Johnson – now Ukrainian President Zelenskyj wants US President Biden to visit Kiev as well. But the Democrat is more likely to send his foreign minister.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked US President Joe Biden to visit Ukraine. “I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he should come see him,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with CNN in English. Of course, it’s Biden’s decision and depends on the security situation, Zelenskyj said. But he assumes Biden will come.
Biden recently said that after recent high-profile political visits to Kiev, he was also considering sending a high-ranking representative to Ukraine for talks. US media reported that the US government was considering whether to send Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin or Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit Ukraine. Biden is unlikely to travel to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also reported that he had invited his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to Ukraine to get an idea of the “genocide” committed by Russian soldiers. “I told him that I want him to understand that this is not a war, this is nothing more than genocide,” he said. In a phone call on Thursday, he invited Macron to go to Ukraine “if he has the opportunity,” Zelensky said. “He’ll come and see, and I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Referring to US military aid, Zelenskyy said it would never be enough. According to the English translation, Selenskyj says that enough is not possible either. Ukraine still needs more than it has now.
The United States recently pledged up to $800 million (€740 million) in arms and ammunition to Ukraine. The US government has already pledged or delivered weapons worth $2.5 billion to Ukraine since the Russian war of aggression began in late February.
In the interview, Zelenskyy again clarified the position that Ukraine does not want to give up separatist-controlled areas in the east of the country to end the war. Kiev has no guarantee that Russia will not try to take the capital again after occupying Donbass.
Zelenskyy’s government accuses the Russian army of committing “genocide” in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden also spoke this week of a “genocide” against Ukrainians. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Great Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson made similar statements. The governments of Germany and France were more reluctant to assess alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine. Macron warned on Thursday against an “escalation of words” that would not help Ukraine. “The word ‘genocide’ has a meaning”, underlined the French president. It is up to lawyers, not politicians, to arrive at an assessment in this regard. Zelenskyj then declared that Macron’s remarks were “very painful” for Ukraine.