Date | December 21–22, 2022 |
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Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
On 21 December 2022, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, visited the United States. During his 10-hour [1] visit, Zelenskyy met with Joe Biden, the president of the United States, held a joint press conference, and addressed a joint session of the United States Congress. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a US$1.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine ahead of Zelenskyy's visit. [2] Zelenskyy's visit to Washington, D.C. is believed to be his first overseas trip since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. [3]
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. [4] [5] [6] At the beginning of the invasion, Zelenskyy declined offers of evacuation from the United States. [7] The United States assisted Ukraine and Zelenskyy by other means, with the U.S. giving the most assistance to Ukraine throughout the invasion of any foreign nation—around US$50 billion at the time of Zelenskyy's visit. [8]
This was Zelenskyy's first visit to the White House, although he had met with Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, in 2019, "on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's opening sessions in New York." [9]
Informal discussions about the trip began on December 11, and after the invitation was extended and accepted, planning began on December 18. Zelenskyy traveled by train to Przemyśl, Poland, where he was joined by U.S. ambassador Bridget Brink, "transported in a U.S. Embassy vehicle to an airport in Rzeszów," and then traveled, via a U.S. Air Force jet typically used by Cabinet-level officials, to Joint Base Andrews. [1]
Zelenskyy arrived in the country from Rzeszów, Poland aboard a United States Air Force C-40B. [10] [11] During his visit to the United States, Zelenskyy met with the president, Joe Biden. Biden pledged a Patriot missile system for the use of Ukraine against aircraft, ballistic, and cruise missiles. [2] [12] [13] The Patriot system had been previously asked for by Ukraine. [14]
Zelenskyy presented Biden with a medal that had been awarded to a Ukrainian officer responsible for a U.S.-furnished HIMARS system "that the officer wanted Biden to have." [15]
After meeting with Biden, Zelenskyy gave a speech, in English, to a joint session of the United States Congress. In his speech, Zelenskyy called for increased aid to Ukraine. Following his speech, Zelenskyy gave a Ukrainian flag signed by Ukrainian soldiers fighting at the Battle of Bakhmut to Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. In return, Pelosi presented Zelenskyy with a U.S. flag, which had flown over the Capitol that day. Zelenskyy carried the flag with him as he departed the House chamber. [16] [17]
Pelosi later compared the visit to Winston Churchill's address to Congress, at which her father Rep. Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. was present, on December 26, 1941. [15]
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(January 2023) |
The Associated Press, citing a security analyst, wrote "Zelenskyy's mission of keeping America engaged is a difficult one, but he is up to the task." [15] David Sanger of the New York Times argued that Zelenskyy's true purpose was appealing "to the minority of Republicans who are reluctant to spend more in a conflict whose end is nowhere in sight..." To this end, Zelenskyy reminded Congress that Iran's assistance to Russia might ultimately impact close U.S. ally Israel, essentially urging Congressmembers hesitant to invest more in Ukraine to see it as part of a broader defense of Western interests. [18]
A joint session of the United States Congress is a gathering of members of the two chambers of the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Joint sessions can be held on any special occasion, but are required to be held when the president delivers a State of the Union address, when they gather to count and certify the votes of the Electoral College as the presidential election, or when they convene on the occasion of a presidential inauguration. A joint meeting is a ceremonial or formal occasion and does not perform any legislative function, and no resolution is proposed nor vote taken.
The United States officially recognized the independence of Ukraine on December 25, 1991. The United States upgraded its consulate in the capital, Kyiv, to embassy status on January 21, 1992. In 2002, relations between the United States and Ukraine deteriorated after one of the recordings made during the Cassette Scandal revealed an alleged transfer of a sophisticated Ukrainian defense system to Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Independence Day of Ukraine is the main state holiday in modern Ukraine, celebrated on 24 August in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence of 1991.
Victoria Spartz is an American politician and businesswoman who is the U.S. representative for Indiana's 5th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, she previously represented the 20th district in the Indiana Senate.
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician and former comedian and actor who is the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019.
Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska is a Ukrainian screenwriter who is the current First Lady of Ukraine as the wife of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenska was named by Time as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2023.
The following is a list of events from the year 2022 in Ukraine.
U-24 is an intergovernment organization proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the ability to immediately stop any conflicts between countries. It was first voiced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his impassioned speech to the U.S. Congress on 16 March 2022.
The response of the United States to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022 has been in favor of Ukraine. President Biden condemned the invasion, providing military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and sanctioning Russia and Belarus, the countries heavily involved in invading Ukraine.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a number of speeches in multiple formats, including on social media and to foreign legislatures. The speeches have received significant attention, with a number of commentators citing a positive effect on Ukrainian morale and on international support for Ukrainian resistance to the invasion.
The following is a timeline of the presidency of Joe Biden during the fourth quarter of 2022, from October 1 to December 31, 2022. To navigate between quarters, see timeline of the Joe Biden presidency.
Events in the year 2023 in Ukraine.
The Walk of the Brave was laid in Kyiv on the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's independence. The place was not chosen by chance, because it was on the Constitution Square opposite the Verkhovna Rada.
On 8 February 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, visited the United Kingdom. During his trip, Zelenskyy met Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. He also addressed Members of Parliament from Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament and had an audience with King Charles III. It was Zelenskyy's second trip outside Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after his December 2022 visit to the United States.
On February 20, 2023, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, made a visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, his first since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Out of security concerns, his travel plans had not been made public prior to his arrival, and only two journalists accompanied him, having been sworn to secrecy three days earlier.
In May 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, made multiple unannounced trips to many European countries. On 3 May, Zelenskyy travelled to Finland, where he met with the four prime ministers of the Nordic countries. On 4 May, Zelenskyy travelled to the Netherlands, meeting with the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as visiting the International Criminal Court.