Received by Biden in Washington, Zelensky thanks the United States for its “immense support” against Russia

“We must remain united”: Volodymyr Zelensky tries this Thursday in Washington to convince the Americans to continue their massive aid to Ukraine, which some right-wing parliamentarians would like to stop without further ado.

The Ukrainian president, in his usual khaki suit, and his wife Olena Zelenska were received by Joe and Jill Biden, with a red carpet, flags and soldiers in full dress. The two heads of state then headed to the Oval Office, where the US president promised to “ensure that the world supports” Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that he had “started his day in the US Congress to thank parliamentarians and the American people for their great and immense support.”

“To win we must stay united”

The White House is undoubtedly the warmest stop of the Volodymyr Zelensky era, although so far he has not managed to convince Joe Biden to give him the long-range tactical missiles that he insistently demands.

Aware of the risk of fatigue on the part of the great American ally, the Ukrainian president had warned Republican elected officials in the morning that his country risked losing the war if the flow of aid stopped abruptly.

“I emphasized that a victory for Ukraine would ensure that neither Russia nor any other dictatorship destabilizes the free world again,” he said on X. “To win, we must remain united,” he insisted.

On Capitol Hill, the Ukrainian head of state arrived at another type of battlefield, political and financial. The atmosphere has changed a lot in the American capital since Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit on December 21, 2022 and his speech, to acclaim, before the then Congress.

It escaped no one’s attention that the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, had not accompanied the Ukrainian leader when he arrived at the Capitol on Thursday. However, what Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell did.

Kevin McCarthy, under pressure from his party’s right wing, said Tuesday that he would ask his visitor to be “responsible for the money we have already spent.”

Republican Michael McCaul, head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was however optimistic about the approval of new aid of $24 billion. “They need it and they will get it,” said the Texas elected official.