Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to visit Washington on Wednesday on his first foreign trip since the Russian invasion began last February. The news was reported by US media, which attributed it to senior officials in the Joe Biden administration. According to these sources, Zelenski’s destination will be both the White House, where he will meet the President of the United States, and the Capitol.
The visit, which has been kept secret for security reasons and could be canceled for the same reasons, has not yet been officially confirmed. Zelenskyy’s trip coincides with a time when Congress in Washington is considering approving $45 billion in military aid to Ukraine and the United States is preparing to deploy Patriot surface-to-air missiles to help Kyiv in the process help to withstand the aggression. This latest funding package would be the largest cash injection from the US government to date and would guarantee aid for the coming months of war in Europe.
On Capitol Hill, Zelenski is expected to meet with leaders from both parties and also address members of the House and Senate.
Nancy Pelosi, who is spending her last days as Speaker of the House of Commons, on Tuesday announced an extraordinary session for Wednesday evening with a “very particular focus on democracy”. The announcement, which contained no further information, came in the form of a letter. “We are ending a very important 117th Congress Legislature with a bill that promises progress for the American people and supports our democracy,” Pelosi wrote in a text advising lawmakers not to miss the occasion.
This Tuesday Zelenskyi made headlines with another trip, perhaps the riskiest of the 300 days of war. The Ukrainian President made a surprise appearance in Bakhmut, a city in the Donetsk region of Donbass where the country’s fiercest fighting is taking place.
In a video released by his office of the Bakhmut visit, Zelenskyy holds up a Ukrainian flag and alludes to his intention to hand it over to American leaders. “The boys gave us our beautiful Ukrainian flag with their signatures to pass on,” the president says in the recording. “We are not in an easy situation. The enemy is strengthening its troops. Our people are braver and need stronger weapons. We’re going to take it from the boys to Congress, to the President of the United States. We are grateful for your support, but that’s not enough. It’s something, but it’s not enough.”
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Zelenski’s appearance in Bakhmut was interpreted as an attempt to boost morale for some troops who have suffered significant casualties there in recent weeks. And it comes as his government has warned that Russia could be preparing for another offensive in early 2023. It seems clear that the Ukrainian leader is determined to deal with this offensive with a quick trip to Washington.
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