2022-12-20

SEGUN EL WAHINGTON POST POLEMICA VISITA DEL LIDER UCRANIO A USA ENTRE TORRENTES DE AYUDA MILITAR PARA MATAR RUSOS Y EL FRECELO PARTE DEL CONGRESO SE DESENTIENDE DE ESA AYUDA PERENTORIA Y MAGNIFICA

 

Zelensky slated to meet Biden, appear in Congress on Wednesday

The trip will mark his first public international appearance since Russia invaded Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hands an award to a soldier during a medal ceremony for Ukrainian servicemen Tuesday. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/AFP/Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday plans to appear in Washington to meet with President Biden and visit Capitol Hill, according to people with knowledge of the plan — a trip that will mark Zelensky’s first public international appearance since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

During the visit, Biden will announce a new $1.85 billion security assistance package that will include a Patriot missile battery to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, a senior administration official told reporters Tuesday. The missile system, the most advanced air defense weapon in the American arsenal, has been a long-held and top request of Kyiv, and the official said the United States will train Ukrainian forces on how to operate it.

Biden and Zelensky plan to hold bilateral meetings and a news conference at the White House before the Ukrainian leader heads to Capitol Hill to deliver a joint address to Congress, according to the official. Lawmakers are looking to pass a year-end spending package this week that includes about $45 billion in new Ukraine aid, an effort Zelensky is expected to thank Congress for, according to the official and congressional aides with knowledge of the plans.

“The visit will underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a written statement.

Zelensky’s high-stakes trip comes at a precarious time in the war as Ukrainians are bracing for a long, brutal winter. Russian President Vladimir Putin has employed extraordinarily ruthless attacks in recent weeks, including on civilian infrastructure that have knocked out electrical grids and left many Ukrainians without power, water or heat.

Administration officials said Biden and Zelensky have wanted to meet in person for months but that the security situation in Ukraine did not allow for Zelensky to leave the country. It was only recently, U.S. officials said, that Zelensky and his aides considered making an international trip, and the details of the trip were closely held in Washington in recent days given concerns around Zelensky’s safety.

Biden has made holding together a Western coalition supporting Ukraine a central mission of his presidency. Although all of the countries in the coalition are grappling with the economic consequences of the war, they have shown few signs of withdrawing or softening their support even as heat prices rise during the winter.

“President Biden will have the opportunity to reinforce that this support is not just about what we have done before, but what we will do today and what we will continue to do for as long as it takes,” said the senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules established by the White House.

Without disclosing Zelensky’s visit, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sent a letter to her colleagues on Tuesday, asking lawmakers to be “physically present” for a “very special focus on Democracy” on Wednesday night. The letter set off a scramble among lawmakers who had already left Washington.

Dozens of members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus were also left in the dark about the plans, even though their group is always aware of discussions between the United States and Zelensky’s administration, according to several who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to outline private deliberations.

House members and aides were shocked to hear that Zelensky might visit the Capitol on Wednesday, a day when the Senate is hoping to get out of town after passing a year-long government funding bill. Zelensky will appear before Congress at a time when some House Republicans have begun to express deep displeasure with the U.S. funding Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia.

Zelensky’s trip comes during a busy stretch of year-end business for the Democratic-controlled Congress, which is seeking to pass a sweeping government funding bill that includes an additional $44.9 billion in emergency military and economic assistance for Ukraine.

Republicans will take control of the House early next year, which some lawmakers fear could complicate efforts to continue funding Ukraine’s defense. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and others have suggested they will scrutinize Ukraine spending when they assume control of the House in January and have warned against sending “blank checks.” Still, many Republicans — particularly in the Senate, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — have voiced unwavering support for Ukraine aid.

Inside the GOP, some have privately voiced skepticism that McCarthy and other House Republicans would significantly curb spending and risk bolstering Russia, but the rhetoric has created anxiety for Ukraine and other allies. The administration said its intent in planning Wednesday’s visit was not about warning Republicans.

“This isn’t about sending a message to a particular political party,” the senior administration official said. “This is about sending a message to Putin and sending a message to the world that America will be there for Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Zelensky on Tuesday made an unexpected visit to troops defending Bakhmut, the site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the war. In remarks Tuesday, Zelensky said this week is “extremely important for Ukraine — in order to get through this winter and next year, in order to gain the necessary support and for the Ukrainian flag to finally prevail on all sections of our border.”

He added, “Our fighters gave me our flag today and asked to pass it on to those whose decisions are very important for Ukraine, for all our warriors. We will definitely do it. We will definitely endure. We will definitely get the necessary support for Ukraine!”

As Zelensky’s travel plans were kept extremely close, congressional aides worried that the information getting out could have endangered his chances of leaving Ukraine, people with knowledge of the situation said.

The White House formally invited Zelensky on Dec. 14, the senior administration official said, to visit this week. The White House told the Ukrainian leader that it wanted to host him for an “extended program” that would include a lengthy sit-down with Biden, a meeting with top national security and Cabinet officials, a news conference and an opportunity to visit Capitol Hill.

The Ukrainian accepted the White House’s invitation on Friday and the trip was confirmed on Sunday, the official said.

Zelensky’s visit will mark the 300th day since Russia invaded Ukraine. More than 10 months into the conflict, there remains no end in sight, but the war has caused global upheaval, including rising fertilizer prices and a food crisis that has hit the global south, high gas prices, inflation, supply chain shortages and anxiety about a difficult winter in Europe.

During the bilateral meeting, Biden will “have the opportunity to have an in-depth strategic discussion on the way ahead on the battlefield,” the senior administration official said.

Biden and Zelensky have spoken numerous times since Russia’s invasion began in February, at many points talking as frequently as every couple of weeks. While the two have had a friendly relationship and gone to great lengths to praise each other in public, the relationship has had moments of tension.

In the conflict’s first months, for instance, Zelensky often lambasted the United States and other Western countries for not doing enough, even after Congress and the White House approved multibillion-dollar aid and weapons packages.

While Biden understood as a fellow politician that Zelensky had to advocate forcefully for his people, he also told the Ukrainian leader privately that it would be hard for him to keep asking Congress for money if Zelensky appeared ungrateful and kept saying it was not enough, according to a former White House official.

In another call this summer, Zelensky told Biden that the United States needed to do more. Biden stopped the Ukrainian leader and reminded him that the effects of the war were not lost on Americans, who were paying higher gas prices amid record inflation, according to a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private call.

Still, the White House has voiced unwavering support for Ukraine. When asked how long the United States can be expected to pour billions into the war effort, Biden and his top aides frequently say: “As long as it takes.”

Biden has also made clear he will not force Zelensky to negotiate with Russia before he is ready. “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” has become a common refrain of the president.

This month, Biden said he would be willing to meet with Putin about ending the war in Ukraine but stressed that such a discussion is not imminent because the Russian leader has not shown a willingness to seek a peaceful resolution and has employed horrific tactics against Ukrainian civilians.

“I’m prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if there is an interest in him deciding he’s looking for a way to end the war,” Biden said. “If that’s the case, in consultation with my French and NATO friends, I’ll be happy to sit down with Mr. Putin to see what he has in mind. He hasn’t done that.”

On Capitol Hill, several members and aides saw the last-minute invite to Zelensky as Pelosi’s final major act as speaker. Throughout the course of the year, Pelosi has made several trips around the world to countries she has championed as fighters of democracy, including Ukraine and Taiwan.

Several members who were in town for other meetings were planning to leave Wednesday ahead of a cross-country snowstorm, or stay home and vote remotely to pass the yearly government funding bill. Given Zelensky’s planned visit, many have delayed their flights or decided it is worth the trip back to Washington to honor him in person.

Liz Goodwin, Karen DeYoung and Meryl Kornfield contributed to this report.

NEW YORK POST BIDEN EL MENTIRAS

 

Year in Biden lies: How well do you know the falsehoods of our fibber-in-chief?

Joe Biden may be president of the United States, but he’s putting in a bid for leader of Fantasyland. Known for making up stories from his past, exaggerating his accomplishments and generally saying things that make no sense, the 80-year-old hit new highs this year with his prevarications. How well do you know what the truth is? Take our quiz:


ANGELES TIMES ZELENSKY PERIPLO !PELIGROSO" USA LA CAMARA DE REPRESENTANTES REFRACTARIA A DONAR LA YUDA EN ARMAS QUE PIDE, LOS RUSOS NO QUIEREN HACER DE ÉL UN MARTIR Y PUEDE QUE ESTÉ ORGANIZANDO SU HUIDA A USA O A ISRAEL

 

Ukraine’s Zelensky set to address Congress in first foreign trip since Russian invasion

Ukrainian President Zelensky looks on as he meets soldiers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets soldiers at the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian invaders in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2022.
(Associated Press)
 

In his first known trip abroad since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Washington on Wednesday to meet with President Biden and address a joint session of Congress.

U.S. officials kept details of his visit under wraps given the security fears. Despite the heavy shroud placed over Zelensky’s plans, it was widely reported he would travel to Washington to visit Capitol Hill and appear at the White House.

Zelensky’s visit, his second to the United States as president, comes as lawmakers are preparing to vote on a $1.7-trillion end-of-year funding bill that includes nearly $45 billion in emergency economic and security assistance to Ukraine, $8 billion more than Biden had requested from Congress last month.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) emphasized that lawmakers should make an effort to appear in-person for Wednesday’s session.

“We are ending a very special session of the 117th Congress with legislation that makes progress for the American people as well as support for our Democracy,” Pelosi wrote to colleagues in a letter Tuesday. “Please be present for a very special focus on Democracy Wednesday night.”

Zelensky will appear before House Republicans, some of whom have expressed interest in restricting aid to Ukraine when they take over the lower chamber in January. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) has said his party would not “write a blank check to Ukraine,” raising concerns about Washington’s ability to help Kyiv fend off Russia in the months ahead.

This trip would mark the first known time that Zelensky has left Ukraine since the war started Feb. 24. His determination to remain in Kyiv even as it came under attack — and as his Russian enemies claimed he had fled — and his nightly video addresses lent succor to his people and emboldened Ukrainian defenders of their land. He repeatedly refuted Russian propaganda by showing up in parts of Ukraine with a video camera in tow.

The visit also comes as Ukrainian pleas for long-range Patriot surface-to-air, antiaircraft missiles are gaining traction, with an announcement of a U.S. decision to supply the sophisticated weaponry expected as early as this week. Zelensky may believe his presence could seal the deal.

Zelensky’s appearances on the front lines, in subway stations where Ukrainians huddled in fear and even in the most war-ravaged towns like Bucha, site of enormous alleged atrocities against Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops, served as the consummate morale booster for a population that believes it is fighting for its identity.

His risky departure from the country — with an equally perilous return — comes as a surprising detour from that campaign. Zelensky may have felt it necessary to make a more forceful, personal appeal for additional U.S. weapons and other aid at a time when a soon-to-be Republican-dominated House has floated ideas of limiting such assistance.

Zelensky’s visit was first reported by Punchbowl News.

His determination to speak out for Ukraine has earned him international accolades, including Time Magazine person of the year, which said he embodied the “spirit” of a country that broke away from the former Soviet Union and now is besieged by a Russian leader who believes it should never have been allowed to separate.

U.S. officials did not supply details on how Zelensky was traveling. Numerous high-level delegations, including the prime ministers of neighboring European countries, Pelosi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, have ventured into Ukraine by train, traveling from Poland to Kyiv in relative safety.

But security is a shifting condition, and in recent weeks, the Russian military has escalated air strikes on numerous civilian targets across Ukraine including electrical grids, plunging much of the country’s population into darkness and cold as winter engulfs the region.

From the start of the war, Zelensky said he was Russia’s No. 1 target for assassination, and that seemed possible as the Kremlin’s troops sought — and ultimately failed — to conquer Kyiv.

Earlier Tuesday, in another display of his flair for combat-zone drama, Zelensky showed up in Bakhmut, an eastern city under one of the most intensive Russian onslaughts in recent days. Russian forces were trying to encircle the city, 380 miles east of Kyiv, in their broader goal of seizing all of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Zelensky’s appearance was seen as another effort to boost morale. For the Russians, capturing Bakhmut would open a route for Russian forces to press on toward cities in the eastern region that remain in Ukrainian hands. Mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a shadowy paramilitary organization led by a Russian oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, are reported to be leading the Russian offensive in Bakhmut.

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