Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to Washington to drum up American support

It’s a wonderful way to mark 300^e War day in his country. The President of Ukraine is Volodymyr Zelensky In Washington, on Wednesday, December 21, a visit was kept secret until last, and was confirmed overnight by a White House press release. The leader is making his first foreign trip since the start of the Russian occupation on February 24, which was initially aimed at removing him from power and seizing Q after the blitzkrieg operation. Thus, the trip is a testament to the total failure of the Kremlin.

Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet his US counterpart Joe Biden at the White House before addressing a joint session of Congress later in the evening. The Ukrainian President should thank the members of parliament for their political and financial support and urge them to continue this initiative.

The two presidents spoke on the phone on December 11. The White House issued a formal invitation three days later. The formalization took place on December 18, but preparations for the visit remained secret until Tuesday evening in Washington.

Earlier, House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote to elected officials to remind elected officials of the importance of their presence on Capitol Hill starting Wednesday, and that evening, the announcement centered on an awkward event. “Democracy”, Without details. On Tuesday evening, a senior administration official confirmed the Ukrainian president’s visit, providing few details to the press. Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky were about to meet again Afternoon at the White House, surrounded by their closest advisers. Both the heads of state A “Deep Strategic Discussion”The evolution of the fighting on the ground, the needs of the Ukrainian military, both Western support in all its forms and economic sanctions against Russia.

Symbolic, political and military significance

Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky have communicated countless times over the past nine months by screen or phone. Earlier, on the 1st, the two met at the White House^{There is} September 2021, the U.S. administration focused its attention on withdrawing from the still chaotic and controversial Afghanistan. On the other hand, this was the first tête-à-tête between two presidents since the start of the war, with Joe Biden, unlike most Western leaders, not traveling to Kew. Mr. to Washington. Zelensky’s trip was not without risk from a security perspective. But as Ukraine prepares to enter its second year of conflict, its symbolic, political and military significance is clear.

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