WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet United States leader Joe Biden and address Congress in Washington today, during a visit the White House said will send Russia a strong message of Western unity.
The secretly arranged trip comes on the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet his top military officials to assess the dire results so far of the war on Ukraine and set goals for next year.
It will be Zelenskyy’s first trip outside Ukraine since Russian forces invaded in February, when they planned for a rapid takeover of Kyiv and much of the country.
Instead, the visit to Washington comes on the 300th day of a war that has seen Russian forces halted by a stubborn Ukrainian army backed by Western arms, forced to retreat from captured territory and struggling to avoid further setbacks.
The visit will “underscore the US’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes,” White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Zelenskyy will visit the White House where Biden is to announce a new arms package worth almost US$2 billion (RM8.9 billion) that a senior administration official said includes Patriot air defence missiles.
Patriot missiles are seen as crucial to help Kyiv fend off Russia’s punishing missile and drone attacks on its infrastructure.
Zelenskyy is then expected to address a joint session of Congress, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said would be “a very special focus on democracy”.
The visit was quietly planned, beginning with a phone call between Biden and Zelenskyy on December 11, followed by a formal invitation one week ago and confirmation of the visit on Sunday.
Details of the visit leaked yesterday afternoon, with officials stressing to US media that there were still security concerns over Zelenskyy’s travel.
In White House talks, Biden and Zelenskyy will discuss the arms and training provided by the US and allies, sanctions, and other pressure on Russia, and economic and humanitarian aid that Ukraine needs, the senior White House official said.
“They will discuss every element of this conflict, including the situation on the battlefield and including the question of where the war goes from here,” the official said.
The visit will send Putin “a strong message of unity and resolve from the White House, from Washington, from the free world, on behalf of all the nations supporting Ukraine”, the official added.
But that does not include pressuring Zelenskyy into talks with Putin, the official stressed.
Zelenskyy flies to the US after a risky visit to the frontlines in Bakhmut, where both sides have endured heavy tolls in constant shooting and shelling over the past two months.
Brutal trench warfare and artillery battles around Bakhmut – once known for its vineyards and salt mines – have flattened large portions of the city and its surroundings.
“Here in Donbas, you're protecting all of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy told Ukrainian fighters.
“This is not just Bakhmut, this is fortress Bakhmut,” he said, handing out honours to Ukraine servicemen.
Soldiers gave Zelenskyy a Ukrainian flag with their names signed on it and asked him to present it to Biden and the US Congress.
Zelenskyy said they told him: “We have a difficult situation, the enemy is increasing their numbers. Our guys are braver but we need more weapons.” – AFP, December 21, 2022
