Biden delivers State of the Union address at joint session of Senate and House of Representatives on the 7th
The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 5th (local time) that Ukrainian President Olena Zelenska and Alexei Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalaya rejected U.S. President Joe Biden’s invitation to the State of the Union address.
President Biden is scheduled to deliver his last State of the Union address (State of the Union address) during this term at the joint session of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on the 7th.
According to reports, Ms. Zelenska and Ms. Navalaya were invited to sit next to President Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, during the symbolic speech, but both reportedly declined.
These two women were seen as symbols of resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin and would provide a powerful image in President Biden’s State of the Union address. The U.S. president’s spouse invites various figures to the State of the Union address every year, and the president often emphasizes and promotes specific related policies or issues.
However, Ms. Zelenska is said to have declined because she felt burdened by attending the same event as Ms. Navalaya.
Mrs. Navalaya is the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navali, who died suddenly in prison on the 16th of last month, and is considered a symbolic figure resisting President Putin on behalf of her late husband.
However, Navalny supported the idea that “Crimea is historically Russian land” when Russia first invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea in 2014. Of course, Navalny was opposed to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and expressed support for the Ukrainian border after the dissolution of the former Soviet Union in 1991, but Ukraine was not pleased with Navalny, evaluating him as a person with Russian nationalism and imperialistic thinking. It is said that they are not doing it.
In relation to this, the White House said that Ms. Zelenska’s absence would be a “scheduling issue.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Navalaya also announced her absence. His spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said: “Yulya was actually invited and considered attending, but everyone seems to have forgotten how the situation unfolded. Her husband (Navalny) died only two weeks ago. Yulia came home for the first time today. He said he, like everyone else, needs time to recover. He is very grateful for the invitation, but he needs time to recover.”
In this regard, an anonymous U.S. official said that it is possible that the White House did not notify Ukraine of Ms. Navalnaya’s absence, but that her attendance would not be Ukraine’s only concern.
The U.S. Congress has not yet passed a new aid package for Ukraine worth $60 billion. President Zelenskyy attempted to appeal to the US Congress for approval of his support plan in December last year, but the schedule was canceled.
Meanwhile, the parents of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gersikovich, who is being held in Russia, and the families of hostages detained in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, were also invited to this State of the Union address.
Source: Donga
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.