Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has not left his country since Russia invaded on February 24, will be received at the White House on Wednesday by Joe Biden before addressing the US Congress during a visit already historic.
This visit underlines that the United States will support Ukraine “as long as necessary”, said Karine Jean-Pierre, spokesperson for the American executive, in a press release formalizing the event.
This trip, which will be accompanied by the announcement of new American aid described as “significant” to Ukraine, including in particular a Patriot anti-aircraft system, sounds like a challenge to Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin thus warned on Wednesday against new deliveries of American arms to Ukraine, which will only have the effect of “aggravating” the conflict. His spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, also said he did not expect a change of position from Mr. Zelensky regarding his refusal to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.
In a tweet on Wednesday morning, the Ukrainian president confirmed that he was “on his way to the United States to build the resilience and defense capabilities” of Ukraine, that he will meet with the American president and make a speech in front of the Congress.
Questioned by AFP, the Ukrainian presidency did not wish to make any further comment immediately.
Vladimir Putin, for his part, must hold a major meeting on Wednesday with the senior officers of his army, intended to draw lessons from the past year and to set military objectives for 2023.
After admitting on Tuesday an “extremely difficult” situation in the regions of Ukraine occupied by Moscow, Mr. Putin will deliver an “important voluminous speech” on this occasion, according to his spokesman.
“Short Hours”
1er September 2021, Volodymyr Zelensky had already been received in the Oval Office by Joe Biden, who had already promised to support him against Russia.
Wednesday, the same two men, the same place but a completely different historical scale: it is their first meeting in the flesh since Russia invaded Ukraine, making Volodymyr Zelensky a warlord known to the whole world , and Joe Biden the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Response to Russia.
During this trip with exceptional security constraints and which will only last “a few short hours”, the Ukrainian head of state will first have a meeting with the American president and his teams at the White House, before a press conference , detailed a senior official of the American executive.
According to this source, who requested anonymity, the American executive will unveil for the occasion a new component of aid of “nearly 2 billion dollars” to Ukraine, including a Patriot surface-to-air missile system, flagship of American military technology.
45 billion
Then the Ukrainian president will address the full Congress, that is to say the House of Representatives and the Senate.
US parliamentarians are preparing to vote on a new massive package of support for Ukraine, of nearly 45 billion dollars.
They will hear Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech as the Congress will partially switch to the side of the Republican opposition in January, which raises some questions about the future Ukrainian policy of the United States.
During a trip to the hottest spot on the front on Tuesday, in the city of Bakhmout, the Ukrainian president had in a way already lifted the veil: receiving a flag from the hands of fighters, he had declared: “We let’s give it to the American Congress, to the American President. We are grateful for their support, but it is not enough”.
The United States, by far the largest donor to kyiv, has already provided, according to expert estimates, nearly 50 billion dollars in aid to the country at war, including 20 billion in arms and military assistance.
Meeting around Putin
Vladimir Putin, therefore, intends to take stock on Wednesday with some 15,000 military officials, by videoconference. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will notably report on “the progress of the special military operation” in Ukraine.
On the ground, fighting continued on Wednesday, with the Ukrainian general staff reporting Russian attacks and shelling in the east and northeast. At least three people were killed and 14 injured in strikes on Donetsk and Kherson regions, according to local authorities.
The Russian army claimed to have captured “new heights and dominant lines” near Donetsk, the stronghold of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
After a series of Russian military reverses in northeastern and southern Ukraine, the bulk of the fighting is currently concentrated in the east.
Russia has been massively bombing Ukrainian infrastructure since October, causing power and water cuts.
The delivery of a Patriot system is intended to respond to these attacks.