Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made this Wednesday, December 21 in Washington an exceptional visit. A historic visit, but also a surprise visit – it was only made public the day before the departure – and a whirlwind visit, it only lasted a few hours, the president having to fly away just after his speech before Congress. , aboard the same US Air Force aircraft that had brought him.
As he exited the plane, Zelensky, dressed in his traditional khaki fatigues, said he had come to thank the American people. He was warmly welcomed shortly after by Joe Biden and his wife Jill on the steps of the White House, the American president even grabbing him familiarly by the shoulder while guiding him towards the Oval Office. Later, during a brief appearance before the press, Zelensky thanked Biden for his leadership and the generosity of his country and recalled that the Ukrainian fight was also that of the West. The United States will “continue to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself”, promised Joe Biden for his part, insisting on the need to achieve a “just peace” for kyiv.
“You will never be alone”, he declared a few hours later during a joint press conference, where he also assured: “Putin will fail”. But the “just peace” mentioned a little earlier by Biden to end this conflict “does not imply any compromise as regards the sovereignty, freedom and territorial integrity of my country”, for his part affirmed the Ukrainian president. in front of journalists.
Dual purpose
The visit is also loaded with symbols: it is the first time that the Ukrainian president has ventured outside his country since the Russian invasion on February 24, 300 days ago. He presented Biden with the medal given to him the day before by a captain of the Ukrainian army wounded in the fighting and he was also to give Congress the Ukrainian flag of other fighters from Bakhmut, a martyr city symbol of the fierce resistance of Ukraine.
After his exchanges with the American president, he then addressed the Congress meeting in special session. In December 1941, in admittedly very different circumstances, another warlord, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, also addressed Congress to ask for American help. Symbol, again: the father of the current leader of the Democrats in the House, Nancy Pelosi, also a parliamentarian, was then in the august enclosure…
But beyond the symbols, Zelensky has two goals in mind. First, to obtain new resources from the country which has supported it most generously since the start of the conflict. The United States has already paid nearly 50 billion dollars to kyiv, including 20 billion in armaments and the rest in various supplies and cash. Congress is also expected to pass before the holiday season a new aid package that will amount to some $45 billion.
kyiv has been calling for a Patriot surface-to-air missile system for months to protect against Russian attacks and the president officially granted his request on Wednesday. “This will significantly strengthen” the Ukrainian defense, assured Zelensky. These missiles will be accompanied by several other sophisticated defensive weapon systems, worth nearly $2 billion.
Strengthen the support of the American people
Second, Zelensky wants to make sure that the momentum of solidarity shown by the United States since last February does not run out of steam. After the mid-term elections, the House of Representatives will switch to the Republican side in January. Their leader Kevin McCarthy had already warned a few weeks ago that there would no longer be any question of giving “blank checks” to Ukraine. And this Wednesday, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer drove the point home: “Our first obligation is to the people we work for, he said, not the people Zelensky works for. By addressing Congress on prime time, Zelensky will be keen to solidify the support of the American people.
Zelensky’s visit comes in a tense context on the winter battlefield and when the Kremlin multiplies the rantings. On Wednesday, hours after Zelensky’s visit to Washington was made public, in a meeting with senior military officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that Russia would continue to develop its military potential, including nuclear, specifying that new hypersonic cruise missiles would enter service in early January. Its Minister of Defense Serguei Choïgou also announced that the Russian army would be increased to 1.5 million soldiers, ie 350,000 more than at present. The “just peace” called for by Biden does not seem to be on the agenda.