Zelensky visits the US and gets more military aid for Ukraine

President ukrainian, Volodymyr Zelenskyarrived on Wednesday at Washington on his first trip abroad since the Russian invasion and American leaders hailed him as a “hero” and pledged to provide him with new missile defense systems.

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Zelensky – whose media skills and resilient attitude towards Russia helped him rally support for the Ukrainian cause – landed on a US military plane at Andrews Air Force Base after a secretly arranged trip for security reasons.

In Washington, he will be received by President Joe Biden at the White House and then will speak before Congress, which is finalizing a new package of 45,000 million dollars in assistance for Ukraine in 2023.

“I’m excited to have you here,” Biden tweeted shortly before Zelensky’s arrival.

Congressmen compared their visit to Winston Churchill’s Christmas appearance at the Capitol in 1941, just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that embroiled the United States in World War II.

“It is especially moving for me to be present when another heroic leader addresses Congress in a time of war, and with democracy itself at stake”declared the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, a defender of Ukraine.

Ahead of Zelensky’s arrival, the United States announced another $1.85 billion of previously budgeted funds for Ukraine, including for the first time the advanced Patriot air defense system, capable of shooting down cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles.

Ukraine fears a growing onslaught of Russian missiles and has faced a series of drone strikes, many of them purchased by Moscow from Iran. Russian forces shell power plants and other civilian infrastructure just as the country hits winter.

“We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, so that kyiv can continue to defend itself and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table when the time comes,” declared Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the statement announcing the aid.

On his way to Washington, Zelensky said on Twitter that he expected “strengthen resilience and defense” from Ukraine.

Putin also allocates funds

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that further US arms deliveries to kyiv will lead to a “aggravation of the conflict” and do not “bode well for Ukraine”.

In a televised address to senior military commanders, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow was not to blame for the invasion and agreed that Russia needed a bigger army.

“The combat capacity of our armed forces is constantly increasing”Putin said.

“What is happening is, of course, a tragedy, our common tragedy. But it is not the result of our policy. It is the result of the policy of third countries”he added.

“We have no limits for financing. The country and the government are giving everything the army asks for. All”, Putin said.

On September 1, 2021, Zelenski had already been received at the White House by Biden, who promised him support in the face of the threat from neighboring Russia.

During this short visit, with unprecedented security measures, the Ukrainian head of state, in addition to meeting with Biden and his team at the White House, will offer a press conference, according to a senior US official.

Flag to Congress

In a trip to the front on Tuesday, to the eastern city of Bakhmut, Zelensky already hinted at his trip to the United States by receiving a Ukrainian flag signed by the kyiv fighters.

“We will deliver it to the American Congress, to the American president. We thank you for his support, but it is not enough ”affirmed the president from this city devastated by the fighting.

On the ground, fighting continued to rage on Wednesday.

Ukraine reported Russian attacks and shelling in the east and northeast. At least three people were killed and 14 wounded in shelling in the Donetsk and Kherson regions, according to local authorities.

For its part, Russia claimed to have captured “new hills and dominant lines” near Donetsk, the stronghold of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Following a series of Russian military setbacks in northeastern and southern Ukraine, fighting is currently concentrated in the eastern part of the country. Russia is also bombing Ukrainian infrastructure, especially energy and military installations, attacks that have left millions of Ukrainians without water, electricity or heating at the beginning of a harsh winter.

Source: AFP