Zelensky's visit creates a remarkable moment for two presidents - The Washington Post

“I americium lasting present successful the United States with President Biden connected the aforesaid podium due to the fact that I respect him arsenic a person, arsenic a president, arsenic a quality being,” Zelensky said Wednesday during a associated quality conference. Biden reciprocated, “This feline to his precise psyche is who helium says helium is. It’s wide who helium is. He’s consenting to springiness his beingness for his country.”

The sojourn was important for some men.

It offered Zelensky, who concisely near a state racked by war, an accidental to tout his government’s accomplishments successful lasting up to Russian aggression. It gave Biden a accidental to reiterate his “America is back” connection and his defence of ideology that has been directed astatine some home and planetary audiences, and to play the relation of savvy planetary person helium has ever ascribed to himself.

“The American radical person been with you each measurement of the way, and we volition enactment with you. We volition enactment with you for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes,” Biden said. “What you’re doing, what you’ve achieved — it matters not conscionable to Ukraine, but to the full world.”

The gathering came arsenic some presidents face caller challenges that could beryllium adjacent much analyzable than the trials they faced successful 2022.

Zelensky, whose challenges are intelligibly much existential, faces a grim wintertime of warfare made much treacherous by a brutal Russian onslaught connected civilian infrastructure and connected the Ukrainian electrical grid. Biden is girding for a takeover of the House by Republicans determined to harm him politically and analyse his son.

The alteration of powerfulness successful Congress could impact Zelensky’s goals arsenic well, since immoderate Republicans person expressed involvement successful reining successful U.S. expenditures connected the warfare successful Ukraine. By plan oregon not, Zelensky’s sojourn created a almighty infinitesimal that his supporters anticipation volition bushed backmost immoderate doubts.

At each of his stops Wednesday, Zelensky went retired of his mode to explicit his acknowledgment to the American nationalist for its ongoing enactment of Ukraine. “Thanks from our mean radical to your mean people, Americans,” Zelensky told Biden during a gathering successful the Oval Office. “I truly appreciate.”

The sojourn to the White House was a symbolic triumph for Zelensky, who fewer expected would past erstwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin began sending thousands of troops and a barrage of missiles into Ukrainian territory 300 days ago. As Ukraine’s subject has fought back, successful immoderate cases pushing Russian fighters retired of occupied territory, Zelensky, a erstwhile comedian, has unexpectedly go a planetary icon. Time mag selected him arsenic the 2022 Person of the Year, thing Biden mentioned during their Oval Office meeting.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hailed Zelensky successful a missive inviting him to code Congress, and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) compared him to Winston Churchill, the British premier curate during World War II.

“It’s ever a precocious grant to invited a overseas caput of authorities to Congress,” Schumer said Wednesday, his bluish suit and yellowish necktie matching the colors of the Ukrainian flag. “But it’s astir unheard of to perceive from a person who is warring for his life, warring for his country’s endurance and warring to sphere the precise thought of democracy.”

While Zelensky has spoken virtually to overseas leaders and governing bodies astir the satellite — including an code to Congress successful March — his determination to travel to Washington earlier visiting Europe underscored “the unparalleled value of the United States to Ukrainian democracy,” said Max Bergmann, manager for Europe astatine the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“It signals that America is backmost — and that’s been Biden’s word — but there’s thing existent to that,” Bergmann said. “The United States has demonstrated that it’s indispensable to European security.”

Zelensky arrived astatine the White House successful the aforesaid cogwheel helium wears to sojourn Ukrainian troops, and his afloat caput of acheronian hairsbreadth contrasted with Biden’s wisps of white. Biden, wearing a blue-and-yellow tie, invited Zelensky into the Oval Office and the 2 were seen walking unneurotic on the White House colonnade, a almighty representation astatine location for Zelensky.

Both presidents had thing to summation from emphasizing their communal support. And they made the astir of it.

Zelensky presented Biden with a medal from a Ukrainian soldier. “He’s precise brave,” Zelensky said of the soldier. “And helium said, ‘Give it to a precise brave president.’ And I privation to springiness that [to] you.”

Biden accepted it, saying it was “undeserved but appreciated.”

As for Biden, helium cited Zelensky’s Jewish inheritance and noted that they were gathering during Hanukkah, which celebrates the triumph of a tiny federation implicit a almighty oppressor. “I get kidded for saying each authorities is personal,” Biden said. “It’s each astir looking idiosyncratic successful the eye, and I truly mean that sincerely. I don’t deliberation determination is any, any, immoderate substitute for sitting down look to look with a person oregon foe.”

Beyond the symbolism, Zelensky’s sojourn included factual deliverables important to some leaders. Hours earlier Zelensky arrived, the White House announced that Biden had approved a caller $1.85 cardinal information assistance bundle including a Patriot rocket system. And arsenic the Ukrainian president landed successful Washington, lawmakers were moving to walk a spending bundle including $44.9 cardinal successful exigency assistance for Kyiv.

With the GOP House takeover apt to curtail Biden’s legislative agenda, helium is expected to sharpen his absorption connected overseas policy, an country wherever presidents person wide authority. Since the midterms, Biden has traveled to Asia, held a authorities sojourn with France, approved a captive swap with Russia and hosted a acme for African leaders. But the destiny of Ukraine volition astir apt beryllium the astir important constituent of Biden’s overseas argumentation legacy.

“The American radical cognize that if we basal by successful the look of specified blatant attacks connected liberty and ideology and the halfway principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the satellite would surely look worse consequences,” Biden said Wednesday.

At the aforesaid time, the American authorities undergirding the sojourn were important if unstated.

President Donald Trump was impeached successful 2020 for withholding subject assistance and a White House gathering from Ukraine successful an effort to unit Zelensky into opening an probe of Hunter Biden. Now that Trump is formally challenging his successor, Zelensky’s sojourn offered the incumbent different accidental to opposition his ain attack to the embattled country.

While Trump often chastised America’s European allies and called NATO “obsolete,” Biden has extolled the transatlantic concern and attempted to contiguous the United States arsenic the world’s indispensable leader. The warfare successful Ukraine offers a cardinal trial of Biden’s approach, and Zelensky utilized his Washington sojourn to convey the U.S. president.

“We truly combat for our communal triumph against this tyranny,” Zelensky said. “And we volition win, and I truly privation [to] triumph together.”

He paused earlier correcting himself.

“Not ‘want.’ Sorry,” helium said. “I’m sure.”