WASHINGTON/KYIV, (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy began a dramatic visit to Washington today, saying he would seek help from President Joe Biden in bolstering Kyiv’s defences against Russia’s devastating invasion.
Zelenskiy’s political adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said earlier that the visit, his first overseas trip since Russia invaded 300 days ago, showed the deep trust between Kyiv and Washington and offered the Ukrainian leader the opportunity to explain Kyiv’s need for more advanced weaponry to turn the tables against its superpower adversary.
Just ahead of Zelenskiy’s arrival, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the United States would provide another $1.85 billion in military aid for Ukraine including a Patriot air defence system to help it ward off barrages of Russian missiles.
“I will hold a series of negotiations to strengthen the resilience and defence capabilities of Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said in a statement on Telegram alongside photos of him on U.S. soil before Biden and his wife Jill welcomed him at the White House.
“Next year, we must return the Ukrainian flag and freedom to our entire land, to all our people,” he said.
Shortly afterward, Biden greeted Zelenskiy – clad in his trademark olive green trousers and sweater – on the White House lawn and put his arm around the Ukrainian leader’s back.
Biden, in brief remarks before the two went in for talks, reiterated U.S. support for Ukraine against Russia’s onslaught and said Washington backed Kyiv’s desire for a just peace.
“Thank you first of all,” Zelenskiy told Biden. “It’s a great honour to be here.”
The two will participate in a joint news conference after their talks. Zelenskiy will then go to Capitol Hill to address a joint session of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Ukraine in recent weeks has come under repeated Russian missile and drone strikes targeting its energy infrastructure, leaving millions of people without electricity or running water in the dead of a freezing winter.
The Patriot missile is deemed to be one of the most advanced U.S. air defence systems, offering protection against attacking aircraft as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
“…Weapons, weapons and more weapons. It is important to personally explain why we need certain types of weapons,” Podolyak said. “In particular, armoured vehicles, the latest missile defence systems and long-range missiles.”
Zelenskiy has made a point of staying close to his people during the war and advocating for his former Soviet state on the world stage, with daring trips to battlefronts, countless calls with world leaders and videolink speeches to parliaments and international institutions.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told MSNBC that diplomacy would be discussed with Zelenskiy, but the Ukrainian leader would face no pressure for peace talks.
Kirby said Washington was seeing no sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to engage in peacemaking.
“Clearly we’re going to make sure that President Zelenskiy, when he leaves this country, knows that he’s leaving with the full support of the United States going forward,” Kirby told MSNBC in a separate interview earlier.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday it saw no chance of peace talks with Kyiv. In a call with reporters, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that continued Western arms supplies to Ukraine would lead to a “deepening” of the conflict.