Three-hundred days after his nation was invaded by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky jetted to Washington, DC, for talks on what the following 300 days may deliver.
US President Joe Biden and the Ukrainian chief appeared as a united entrance, however Biden would not invite Zelensky to Washington — and endure a dangerous journey exterior Ukraine for the primary time because the warfare started — if he didn’t imagine one thing actual might be completed assembly face-to-face as an alternative of over the telephone.
Rising from their hourslong talks, each males made clear they see the warfare coming into a brand new part.Â
Listed here are the important thing takeaways from Zelensky’s historic go to to Washington to this point:
Attempting to determine how the warfare ends: Gaining readability on the place Zelensky stands with regards to ending the warfare was among the many prerogatives in bringing him to the White Home. The Ukrainian chief has voiced a want for a “simply peace” that may finish the battle — some extent that US officers mentioned can be on the middle of their talks Wednesday.
Among the many Western nations which have rallied in help behind Zelensky, there have been lingering issues about what his long-term plan could be. On Wednesday, he appeared to clarify the street to ending the warfare wouldn’t contain making concessions to Russia.
“For me as a president, ‘simply peace’ isn’t any compromises,” he mentioned, indicating he would not see any street to peace that includes Ukraine giving up territory or sovereignty. For his half, Biden mentioned it was as much as Zelensky to “determine how he needs to the warfare to finish,” a long-held view that leaves loads of questions unanswered.
Extra US help to Ukraine — together with a Patriot missile system: Simply forward of Zelensky’s arrival, the Biden administration introduced it’s sending almost $2 billion in further safety help to Ukraine — together with a complicated new Patriot air protection system that Zelensky has been requesting for months.
In weighing a go to, Zelensky prompt to advisers he didn’t wish to journey to Washington had there not been a major improvement within the bilateral relationship with america, in line with a supply acquainted with the matter. Zelensky seen the US determination to ship a Patriot missile protection system to Ukraine as a serious shift within the relationship between the 2 allies.
But standing alongside Biden, he was frank that he didn’t view the only Patriot system as sufficient.
“We want to get extra Patriots,” he mentioned as Biden laughed. “I am sorry however we’re in warfare.”
A united entrance in an advanced relationship: On the floor, Biden and Zelensky have maintained a stalwart partnership. And Zelensky was effusive in his reward of Biden as he went from the Oval Workplace to the East Room to Capitol Hill.
But it would not take a lot to see tensions simply beneath the floor. Zelensky has persistently agitated for added US help, regardless of the tens of billions of {dollars} in navy help that Biden has directed to his nation.
That hasn’t at all times sat effectively with Biden or his crew. However as he has with a number of different international leaders, Biden appeared intent Wednesday on translating bodily proximity into a greater understanding of his counterpart.
Learn extra takeaways right here.
