Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky landed on Wednesday at an air base near Washington and has already met with his US counterpart Joe Biden. Later he will give a speech to Congress.
Zelensky, whose plane landed at Andrews Air Force Base, will try to rally more support for Ukraine in the United States and “send a defiant message to the Russian invaders,” a senior Biden administration official said.
After landing in Washington, the Ukrainian head of state underlined via social networks that he had traveled to the United States to “thank the American people and the President and Congress for the much-needed support”.
NOW: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrives at the White House. He is greeted by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. @NewsNation pic.twitter.com/Z8JUrVs2Eg
—Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) December 21, 2022
The visit also serves “to continue cooperation” that will bring Ukraine closer to victory, he stressed.
“I will conduct a series of negotiations to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience and defense capabilities. In particular, we will discuss bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.” with President Joe Biden, Zelensky underlined.
In the personal account of the Twitter social network, before starting his departure for Washington, the Ukrainian president had already mentioned that his first known trip outside Ukraine since the war started, in February, is intended to “strengthen the resilience and defense to reinforce”. capabilities” of Kiev and to discuss cooperation with the United States.
The official images of Volodymyr Zelensky’s arrival in Washington pic.twitter.com/F2KEWIZbne
-BFMTV (@BFMTV) December 21, 2022
Before Zelensky’s arrival, the United States announced on Wednesday that it would provide Ukraine with military aid worth $1.85 billion (€1.75 billion), including a battery of Patriot missiles.
The White House announcement came just hours before Zelensky’s arrival, and the aid package includes $1 billion in weapons and equipment from Pentagon stockpiles, including the first transfer of the Patriot air defense system, and $850 million in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (VSAI).
Part of USAI will be used to fund a satellite communications system, likely including Starlink, SpaceX’s critical satellite network system owned by Elon Musk.
Source: DN
