Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s current US go to in advance this week got here as a marvel to each his allies and adversaries alike, with the Biden management formally confirming the information handiest hours earlier than his scheduled touchdown in America. Zelenskyy’s experience to Washington on Wednesday, one in every of his first overseas visits considering the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, turned into broadly favored via way of means of Ukrainians and US lawmakers, who welcomed him with a status ovation following his speech withinside the Capitol.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the opposite hand, brushed off the importance of Zelenskyy’s go to, terming the Patriot air defence device that Biden promised to present to Zelenskyy as “pretty old,” and stated that “we [Russia] will crack Patriot missiles, too.”
In an obvious reaction to Zelenskyy’s remark that Ukraine is aiming for an absolute victory, Putin stated that Russia does now no longer need to strengthen the conflict. ” “All conflicts quit diplomatically and the earlier the Ukrainian government recognize this, the better,” Putin stated, as in keeping with a document withinside the Russian organization TASS.
International visits via way of means of wartime presidents, even as now no longer unheard of, are rare. Previously, at some stage in World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had travelled to Washington to fulfill with President Franklin D Roosevelt on Dec. 22, 1941, weeks after the assault on Pearl Harbour. As in keeping with a document withinside the information organization Associated Press, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose father turned into a House member at some stage in Churchill’s go to, had drawn drew a connection among Zelenskyy and the British leader, who had additionally addressed Congress on Dec. 26.
How Zelenskyy were given to US
Zelenskyy’s US experience have been withinside the works for at the least a month, as in keeping with reviews in US-primarily based totally media. Though he have been in verbal exchange with the Biden management approximately a experience for numerous months, it collected momentum following Pelosi’s Crimea Platform summit in Croatia in Oct. at some stage in which Pelosi mentioned the opportunity of Zelenskyy addressing americaA Congress together along with her Ukrainian counterpart.
The plan turned into solidified in a Dec. eleven telecellsmartphone name among Biden and Zelenskyy in which the previous invited the latter to go to americaA and the latter answered positively. “I honestly desired to return back in advance. Mr President is aware of approximately it, however I couldn’t do it due to the fact the state of affairs turned into so difficult,” Zelenskyy had stated at some stage in his cope with from Oval Office on Wednesday.
As in keeping with a document in The Independent, Zelenskyy first crossed to Poland from Ukraine withinside the early hours of Wednesday to attain a educate station withinside the border city of Przemysl, from in which he turned into taken in a US Embassy automobile to the airport in Rzeszów. Zelenskyy turned into escorted via way of means of americaA ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink for the latter a part of the experience.
A little after noon, Zelenskyy turned into flown to Washington in a US Air Force jet, that is utilized by pinnacle American dignitaries. The non-prevent flight landed on the Joint Base Andrews army facility in Maryland, Washington.
The US Air Force Boeing C-forty Clipper, wherein Zelenskyy had travelled, turned into escorted via way of means of NATO secret agent planes and fighter jets, Daily Mail stated in a document. While a German Boeing AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control) secret agent aircraft observed the Ukrainian President’s flight over the volatile North Sea, his flight over the United Kingdom turned into secured via way of means of a US Air Force F-15 fighter jet which lower back to its base in Suffolk as soon as Zelenskyy’s aircraft crossed Scotland.
Once the Ukrainian President landed withinside the US, the safety of the Secret Service, an elite federal organization entrusted to defend politicians and pinnacle dignitaries, kicked in. He turned into welcomed with a crimson carpet and a coloration defend lining the driving, observed via way of means of a heat handshake with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Following a assembly with President Biden withinside the Oval Office, Zelenskyy headed to the Capitol in which he turned into given a excursion of americaA Capitol rotunda with legislative leaders earlier than heading to the Senate for his speech.
“Security turned into tightened across the White House, with pedestrians barred from Pennsylvania Avenue. A privateness display screen turned into erected at the doorway to Blair House, the conventional accommodations for touring dignitaries, to camouflage Zelenskyy whilst he arrived to put together for his assembly with Biden,” stated a document withinside the information organization AP.
Within a 10-hour window, Zelenskyy met with President Biden withinside the Oval Office, confronted the click in a joint convention and addressed the lawmakers on the US Capitol, earlier than returning to Ukraine thru Poland.
Zelenskyy showed Friday that he’s lower back in Ukraine’s capital metropolis of Kyiv. “We’ll conquer everything,” he published on his Telegram account following the experience.
