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ARAB AND WORLD

Fri 15 Sep 2023 10:50 pm - Jerusalem Time

Zelensky visits USA to rally support for his country

Next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will make a visit to Washington, which will be his second since the start of the Russian invasion of his country, in an effort to strengthen American support for Kiev in the face of Russia.


US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed on Friday that Zelensky will visit the White House on Thursday to hold talks with his counterpart, Joe Biden, about strengthening US support for Kiev in the face of the Russian invasion.


Sullivan pointed out that Biden's meeting with Zelensky will be the second in the White House since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, and comes as Ukraine seeks to make progress in its counterattack against Russian forces.


In addition, Sullivan said in an interview with journalists that the talks “come at a critical time, as Russia is desperately searching for help from countries like North Korea to continue its violent war in Ukraine.”


Sullivan expected that the United States and its allies would announce new military aid to Ukraine “during the next week.”


The Ukraine Contact Group, responsible for coordinating aid to Kiev, is scheduled to meet in Ramstein, Germany, next week.


The Ukrainian president is expected to arrive in New York early next week to participate in the United Nations General Assembly in New York and to meet international leaders.


In addition, Zelensky will visit the Capitol building, where he will meet with Democratic and Republican members of Congress, according to what Sullivan confirmed.


The Ukrainian president's visit coincides with the US Congress discussing new military aid to Kiev worth $24 billion for weeks.


Negotiations are difficult, especially in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, as there is hesitation among Biden's Republican opponents regarding providing support to Ukraine.


On the other hand, the traditional Republicans in the Senate support providing aid, and they worked alongside the Democrats over the past year to have Congress approve more than $110 billion in military, economic, and humanitarian aid to Kiev.


The White House expected that both parties in Congress would eventually continue to provide support to Ukraine.


“Frankly, both Republicans and Democrats understand that the United States cannot, for its own sake, let alone its moral obligations, abandon Ukraine at this critical moment,” Sullivan said.


Last month, Biden asked Congress to approve additional aid to Ukraine worth $40 billion, for military, economic and humanitarian support.


Traditional Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell, the party's leader in the Senate, have supported providing aid.


But members of the populist right wing of the Republican Party, especially Donald Trump, who is considered the most likely to win the party's nomination for the presidential elections next year to confront Biden, are denouncing the abundance of aid provided by the United States, calling on the administration to focus on domestic priorities.


In December, Zelensky went to Washington on a secret visit, his first internationally during the war. He entered the White House in the military uniform that became his distinctive mark.


After meeting with Biden at the White House, Zelensky declared that Ukraine "will never surrender."


The Biden administration pledged to support Kiev in the long term. Biden visited Kiev a few months later on a historic trip.


US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Ukraine earlier this month.


The United States has provided military support worth $43 billion that has helped Ukraine repel Russian incursions since the start of the invasion.

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Zelensky visits USA to rally support for his country

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