Volodimir Zelensky visits the US and obtains more military aid for Ukraine

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskythanked the United States for support in Washington on Wednesday and received promises of more aid, including new missile defense systems, on his first trip abroad since the Russian invasion in February.

Dressed in a brown combat uniform, Zelensky was led to the White House where he was received Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden and they entered together as US guards raised their national flag and that of Ukraine.

“We are going to continue to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, particularly air defense,” Biden told Zelensky as they sat by the fireplace in the Oval Office.

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 was received by the president Joe Biden at the White House and later will speak before Congress, which is finalizing a new package of $45 billion in assistance for Ukraine ahead of 2023.

“I’m excited to have him 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’s especially moving for me to be present as another heroic leader addresses Congress in a time of war, and with democracy itself at stake,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an advocate for Ukraine.

Before the arrival of ZelenskyThe United States announced another $1.85 billion of previously budgeted funding 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,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the statement announcing aid.

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

Putin also allocates funds

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

In a televised address to senior military commanders, Putin claimed that Moscow is not to blame for the invasion and agreed that Russia needs a bigger army.

“The combat capability 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 funding. The country and the government are giving everything the army asks for. Everything,” 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.

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 US Congress, to the US president. We appreciate your support, but it is not enough,” the president said from this fighting-torn city.

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 his part, Russia claimed to have captured “new commanding hills and 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.

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