Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit the White House and the US Capitol next week during his trip to the United States to participate in the United Nations General Assembly, the Associated Press agency reported on Thursday.
Zelensky’s trip comes as the US Congress debates whether to provide $21 billion (about €19,700 million) in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which is facing the Russian invasion.
This trip was confirmed by an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, and said Zelensky will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House next Thursday.
The visit to the Capitol was confirmed by two congressional aides, also on condition of anonymity.
The Ukrainian head of state visited Washington during the war, in December 2022, and delivered a powerful speech to a joint session of Congress.
At the time, Zelenskiy thanked Americans for their help in financing the war effort and emphasized to members of Congress that the money “is not charity” but an “investment” in global security and democracy.
Details about Zelensky’s visit next week have not yet been released.
Congress is becoming increasingly divided over providing additional funding to Ukraine.
Biden proposed a package of $13,000 million (about 12,200 million euros) in additional military aid for Ukraine and $8,000 million (about 7,500 million euros) for humanitarian aid.
But some conservative Republican lawmakers have pushed for broad cuts in federal spending, and some have specifically sought to stem the flow of money to Ukraine, as Congress works to pass its annual appropriations bills before the Sept. 30 deadline so that the U.S. government the US can remain operational.
The military offensive that Russia launched in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 caused the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II (1939-1945), according to the most recent UN data.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by most of the international community, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and impose political and economic sanctions on Russia.
Source: DN
