by Viviana Mazza from New York
the first trip by the Ukrainian president outside his country since the beginning of the war. Nancy Pelosi has already warned all parliamentarians who will meet for a joint session
FROM OUR NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT – Volodymir Zelensky is expected at the White House where today, Wednesday, December 21, he will meet Joe Biden face-to-face for the first time since the war began. In the evening he is to speak before the congress session in a joint session. This was announced by anonymous congressional and government sources, but there have been no official confirmations and everyone stresses that the plans could be changed for security reasons.
the first time since February 24 that the Ukrainian President has left his country. Multiple sources told US website Axios overnight that Capitol Police were tightening security for the visit. Axios cited excerpts from a letter from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lawmakers asking all members Tuesday morning to be physically present at our Wednesday night session for a very special focus on democracy. In fact, the fear was that they would be leaving for the end-of-year holidays.
The President of Ukraine is expected to thank Congress for the assistance it has given to the war in Ukraine so far and to explain the need for further military support. Beyond the clamor for the Kiev leader’s symbolic trip across his country’s borders after 300 days of conflict and his image impact, very specific issues will be on the discussion table. When they meet in person, Biden and Zelenskyy will discuss the new military aid package in Kyiv, which includes Patriot missiles. This was reported by sources informed of the visit to CNN.
It is intended as an appeal to the new Congress, which takes office on Jan. 3 with a slight Republican majority in the House of Representatives, including several members of the far-right Freedom Caucus who are openly skeptical about further war spending. The trip also sends a message to Putin: The United States and Ukraine will remain united until the end of the conflict. Biden will announce new $1.8 billion in security aid to Ukraine, CNN expects, adding to the $20 billion already committed as Congress prepares to approve a budget that will add another $45 billion US dollars to Kyiv, more than requested by the President himself (including 20 billion in military aid and funds to restore the Pentagon’s arsenal, depleted by the arms shipments to Kyiv; 6.2 billion to strengthen the US presence in NATO -Eastern Flank; other means of economic and refugee support).
The US President was initially opposed to supplying the Patriots, but was persuaded by the continued bombardment of Ukraine’s infrastructure and also by the possibility that Russia would enrich its arsenal with Iranian ballistic missiles; the new military aid package is also said to include kits that will allow smart bombs of different capacities, already in Kiev’s possession, to be guided through GPS systems and hit precisely (Washington emphasizes that there is no danger of escalation, since they are relatively short-range ). The opportunity for a visit has quickly crystallized in the last few days. Zelenskyi will also meet with officials from the White House National Security Council.
Ukrainian Presidential Spokeswoman Iuliia Mendel tweeted a photo of the Ukrainian flag handed over to Zelenskyy by soldiers in Bakhmut. They asked him to show it to the American Congress. He promised to give it to the President of the United States. Biden and Zelenskyy spoke on the phone several times during these ten months of war: they often praised each other, but there were also moments of tension, for example when the Ukrainian president accused the Western allies of not doing enough despite the help coming from Washington. Speaking remotely before Congress last March, Zelenskyy conjured up the darkest days of American history, including Pearl Harbor and 9/11. We’ll see what he says now Ukraine in the dark while Americans celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas.
This is the flag given to Zelenskyy by Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut. They asked him to present this flag to the American Congress. He promised to pass it on @POTUS . pic.twitter.com/vHAQuqbYQS
— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) December 20, 2022
December 20, 2022 (change December 21, 2022 | 05:19)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED