Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky will meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday, 21st, on his first international trip since the start of the Russian invasion in February.
In an official statement announcing the meeting, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the visit confirmed that Washington would support Kiev “for as long as necessary”.
The White House said Zelensky will meet with Biden and then speak at a joint session of the US Congress.
Confirming his speech to senators and representatives in the US Congress, Zelensky tweeted, “He is going to the US to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities.”
The trip, which coincides with a 300-day period of conflict, according to the US government, will be accompanied by a “significant” new aid announcement, which will include the Patriot anti-aircraft system from Washington to Kiev.
Also Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with the military in Moscow after acknowledging an “extremely difficult” situation in the four Ukrainian regions the Kremlin claims to have annexed.
According to the Kremlin, at a video conference meeting attended by approximately 15,000 officers, Putin is expected to present the results of the year and set the military’s 2023 targets.
Defense Minister Serguei Shoigu will explain the “progress of the special military operation” in Ukraine at the meeting.
A few hours
On September 1, 2021, Zelensky was received in the Oval Office by Biden, who at the time promised to support the former Soviet republic in the face of threat from Russia.
This Wednesday, the scenario will be the same, but the setting is very different: it will be the first face-to-face meeting of Ukrainians since the invasion of Russia, which turned Zelensky into the leader of a country at war and Biden into the leader of a country. Commander of the western reaction against Moscow.
A US government source said the Ukrainian president will meet with Biden and his team at the White House and hold a press conference during the visit, which should take several hours with maximum security measures taken.
The same source, who asked not to be named, said Washington would announce a new aid package that would include a Patriot surface-to-air missile system “about $2 billion for Ukraine.”
Kyiv has been asking for this type of technology for several months to stop the onslaught of Russian troops, which after several defeats on the war front turned their strategy to bombing military facilities and the country’s energy system.
The strategy, described as “barbaric” by White House sources, left millions of Ukrainians without water, electricity and heating at the start of a harsh winter.
The source added that it will be necessary to train Ukrainian troops to use advanced weapons, which “will be in a third country and will take some time.”
45 billion dollars
After the White House, the Ukrainian president will speak at a joint session of the US Congress, which also includes the House of Representatives and the Senate.
US lawmakers are preparing to vote on a new aid package of approximately $45 billion for Ukraine.
The visit took place just before the House of Representatives switched to the Republican opposition and raised questions about the future of US support for Ukraine.
The government source said the two heads of state spoke about the visit in a phone call on 11 December, and the trip was approved last Sunday.
During his visit to the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and a pivotal point on the war front, Zelensky had already hinted at the trip when he received a country flag signed by Kyiv soldiers.
“We will deliver this to the US Congress, to the US President. We appreciate your support, but it’s not enough,” he said in the war-ravaged city.
The United States, Ukraine’s largest donor, has provided the country with around $50 billion in aid, according to various estimates, of which $20 billion is for weapons and military aid.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.