The USA will continue to help Ukraine: a strategic discussion on the future of the war on the battlefield,” a senior US official tells reporters
Zelensky will meet with Biden and other members of the US national security team when he arrives at the White House. The official said Biden and Zelensky would engage in an “in-depth strategic discussion on the way ahead on the battlefield,” along with the training and capabilities Western partners are providing Ukraine, the sanctions they have imposed on Russia and economic and energy assistance to the Ukrainian people.
Republicans are likely to take control of the House in the new year, which will make it difficult for Mr. Biden to continue his support. Republican leaders in that chamber told rank-and-file lawmakers to oppose a spending bill that includes the Ukraine aid just hours before news of Mr. Zelensky’s visit broke.
And a second senior administration official provided the following summary of air defense aid provided to Ukraine from the US: “We have transferred more than 1,400 Stinger anti-air systems to Ukraine, as well as air surveillance and multi-mission radars. Slovakia transferred a critical S-300 system to Ukraine in April, but we enabled our Allies to transfer air defense systems of their own. President Biden announced a new assistance package in August that included orders for 8 new NASAMS. We will continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself.”
As of a Department of Defense briefing in late September, the US had yet to deliver NASAMS to Ukraine. At that time he was the commander. Two systems are expected to arrive in the next couple of months and the remaining six are expected to arrive in the spring, according to Gen. Patrick Ryder.
According to a Facebook post, Russia launched missiles against targets across Ukraine on Monday.
Putin claimed the strikes were in reaction to the terrorism that had taken place in Kyiv. Specifically, he referred to Saturday’s explosion on the Kerch Bridge linking Russia and Crimea – which he blamed on Ukraine’s “special services” – and a list of other alleged “crimes.”
We are continuing to watch his nuclear capabilities, Kate, best we can. I can tell you that there are no indications that Putin has made a decision to use nuclear or mass destruction weapons. And we’ve seen nothing, Kate, that would give us cause to change our own deterrent posture,” Kirby said.
“Russia’s weak, (but) Russia will be stronger. This is a time where the U.S needs to give support. … This is the window, President Zelensky knows it – if he is going to defeat, with US support, the Russian aggression in Ukraine,” Clark said.
Yes. There is an enormous $45 billion aid package in the works, and while not all military, it is part of a consistent drumbeat from the Biden administration. The message is simple: Ukraine is receiving as much aid as Washington can provide, short of boots on the ground, and that aid will not stop.
Rejoinder to Russia: The Rise and Fall of the Ukrainian Flags in the Kherson Region during the April 24 Ukraine Remembrance Day
“It’s clear that he’s feeling the pressure both at home and overseas, and how he reacts to that only he can say,” Kirby told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on “Erin Burnett OutFront.”
Last week, Biden warned about the potential consequences of Putin’s nuclear threats and the possibility of Armageddon. Multiple US officials have said the comment was not based on any new intelligence about Russia’s nuclear posture or intentions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Friday was “a historic day” for Ukraine after Russia announced its withdrawal from the west bank of the Kherson region.
The president said that he was happy to see how people kept Ukrainian flags, despite the threats and oppressions of the occupiers.
He told Americans, “Thank you.” And he said it over and over. I hope my words convey respect and gratitude to Americans. Zelensky came to explain why this was not just Ukraine’s fight, after he had supplied the country with the weapons they had used to push back against a much bigger enemy.
He said stabilization measures would follow due to the threat of mines. The occupiers left a lot of mines and explosives at vital facilities. He said that they would be clearing them.
“Our defenders are followed by police, sappers, rescuers, power engineers … Medicine, communications, social services are returning. … Life is returning,” he said.
Towards the End of the War: The Case for Zelensky in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, during a High-energy Nuclear Collision
Officials also on Friday warned displaced residents to hold off on returning to their homes in the newly retaken areas of Kherson, saying, “It’s too dangerous here now.”
In neighboring Mykolaiv region: The head of the regional military administration of Mykolaiv visited the small city of Snihurivka Friday to discuss “the restoration of life in the liberated territories of the region.”
Kim warned local residents to be cautious despite the fact that the relevant services have already begun removing mines in the liberated territories.
Editor’s Note: Michael Bociurkiw (@WorldAffairsPro) is a global affairs analyst currently based in Odesa. He is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He is a contributor to CNN. The opinions that he gives in this commentary are his. View more opinion at CNN.
A prisoner swap with Russia shortly after the summit seemed to favor Zelensky, who said at the time it was a first step towards ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which had started in 2014 and claimed the lives of over 14,000 people.
I remember seeing Zelensky pull up to lysée Palace with his modest car, while Putin drove away in a limo. (The host, French President Emmanuel Macron, hugged Putin but chose only to shake hands with Zelensky).
Fast forward to 2022 and Zelensky is the instantly recognizable wartime president in trademark olive green; as adept at rallying his citizens and stirring the imaginations of folks worldwide, as naming and shaming allies dragging their feet in arming his military.
If the progress of the battlefield is not demonstrated with billions of dollars worth of military kit, there will be unease among Western backers. But capitulation to Russia would be a political death sentence.
Zelensky traveled to Ukraine at a critical point in the evolution of the battle between democracy and autocracy in the country, which is now considered one of the defining conflicts of our time.
“After the full-scale invasion, once he got into a position of being bullied by someone like Vladimir Putin he knew exactly what he needed to do because it was just his gut feeling,” Yevhen Hlibovytsky, former political journalist and founder of the Kyiv-based think tank and consultancy, pro.mova, told me.
The leader who when offered to leave the US because of Russia’s invasion was quoted as saying “I need ammunition, not a ride”.
Revisiting Zelensky: The Changing Face of the Ukrainian Presidential Campaign and the G7 Price Cap on Russo Oil
There was a campaign celebration in a nightclub where a fresh-faced Zelensky thanked his supporters for an easy victory in the Ukrainian presidential election. He looked in disbelief when he stood on stage and saw that he had defeated Petro Poroshenko.
As Russian troops began to amass on Ukraine’s borders in the weeks preceding the February assault, around 55% of Ukrainians said they didn’t trust Zelensky to lead them into war. It was a rating likely influenced by him not keeping some of his campaign promises, especially failing to launch an effective fight against corruption in the judiciary.
His bubble includes many people from his previous professional life as a TV comedian in the theatrical group Kvartal 95. During the war there was a press conference held on the platform of a metro station and it used great lighting and camera angles to highlight a wartime setting.
I remember the solace his nightly televised addresses brought when there were air raid sirens and explosions in Lviv.
Zelensky’s wearing of T-shirts and hoodies, a uniform of Silicon Valley, rather than suits, is projecting confidence and competence in a modern way to a younger, global audience that recognizes it as such.
“He is probably more comfortable than Putin on camera, too, both as an actor and as a digital native,” she added. “I believe both of them want to come across as relatable, not aloof or untouchable, although Zelensky is definitely doing a better job balancing authority with accessibility.”
Zelenska has shown herself to be an effective communicator in international fora by projecting empathy, style and smarts. King Charles met with her during a visit to the refugee assistance center at the Holy Family Cathedral in London. (Curiously, TIME magazine did not include Zelenska on the cover montage and gave only a passing reference in the supporting text).
There are signs that Zelensky’s influence may be waning despite his strong tailwinds. Even though Zelensky wanted the G7 to put a price cap on Russian crude at $30, the price cap was imposed and the G7 went ahead with it.
“We know that the days ahead, the conflict will continue,” the senior administration official said. “The winter will be hard, and we will continue day-in, day-out to provide critical support to the Ukrainian people.”
In a recent nightly video address, Zelensky said: “No matter what the aggressor intends to do, when the world is truly united, it is then the world that determines how events develop.”
It was 300 days after the Russian invasion that the administration official said they wanted to do it. There was no formula for Zelensky to go out of the country on his first trip and neither the US nor Zelensky would be deterred from making travel decisions due to Russia’s actions.
The new, $1.8 billion package Biden will unveil includes a Patriot surface-to-air missile system, which has been a longstanding request of Ukraine’s to fend of Russian air attacks. CNN was the first to report the US was going to send the systems to Ukraine.
He’s delivered those appeals virtually, beaming into international summits and global legislatures to make his case for more weapons and funding. He has been in his country during the war for both his desire to rally his country and the precarious situation he would face outside his country.
Zelensky met with soldiers and handed out awards, according to his office. The video was posted on state TV and showed the president presenting awards to troops. Since Russian forces launched their siege on the city in May, Bakhmut has seen some of the most ferocious fighting in the whole of the country.
The status of the cooperation of the US and its allies in the region of the Crimea-Kuzakhstan border region between Ukraine and Russia
The chamber will be empty when the Congress returns from its holiday recess on Wednesday, so Pelosi has been trying to get members to come. It was requested by Pelosi that members be in attendance for a very special focus on Democracy.
The expectation from members, per several sources, is Zelensky will address Congress on Wednesday. The sources say that this may not be the final word on security concerns.
A Patriot missile battery would be the most effective long-range defensive weapons system sent to the country and officials say it will help secure airspace for NATO nations in eastern Europe. CNN first reported last week that the US was planning to send Patriot systems to Ukraine.
The number of missile launchers will not be known but a typical battery includes a radar set that can detect targets and computers, an engagement control station, up to eight missile launchers, each holding four missiles.
Once the plans are finalized, the Patriots are expected to ship quickly in the coming days and Ukrainians will be trained to use them at a US Army base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, officials said.
Unlike smaller air defense systems, Patriot missile batteries need much larger crews, requiring dozens of personnel to properly operate them. The training for Patriot missile batteries normally takes multiple months, a process the United States will now carry out under the pressure of near-daily aerial attacks from Russia.
The United States is not in a hurry to send a missile to Ukraine: Zelensky, Biden, and the Ukrainian Army
The timing appeared ripe for Zelensky to make a dramatic gesture like slipping out of Ukraine for the first time since the invasion began. Even as the war remains on, Biden will have an opportunity to reinforce his convictions for supporting Ukraine.
Zelensky decided those parameters met his needs, and the US was going to execute them. The trip was confirmed on Sunday.
Zelensky flew out of his country with a US military aircraft, but US officials wouldn’t provide more details about the security plan. The amount of time it has taken for transit in and out of the country has not been easy. The leaders of the west traveled on a lengthy train ride from Poland to Kyiv.
Russia will continue to do what it does and we will continue to do what we do. And that is to not be deterred from our support for Ukraine, and for us and Zelensky to not be deterred to travel as he sees fit to advance his people’s interests,” the official said.
In the first days and weeks of the Russian full-scale invasion, a Russian attack intended to take advantage of the leader’s absence might have stirred confusion in the Ukrainian military. No military analyst has recently questioned the command and control of the military in Ukraine ten months into the war.
The U.S.-Brazil War and the War with Ukraine: Observations from the House of Representatives and Rep. Pelosi
The appearance would mark a potentially electrifying moment as Democratic control of the House — and Ms. Pelosi’s reign as speaker and a member of Democratic leadership — comes to a conclusion, with Republicans set to take over on Jan. 3.
Others indicated late Tuesday that their support for Ukrainian aid would be outweighed by their opposition to the spending measure, which must be passed by Friday to avoid a government shutdown. Cramer said voting against the spending bill doesn’t mean we’re against Ukraine.
Some Republicans in the House have objected to previous military and humanitarian aid packages because they thought the money was better spent in the US. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a far-right Republican, commented on her dislike of the new aid on Tuesday.
A senior administration official said that Mr. Biden would not come to the meeting on Wednesday “with a message that is about pushing or prodding or poking Zelensky in any way” toward finding a diplomatic end to the war with Russia. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trip had not been formally announced, said Russia had given no indication it was willing to engage in good-faith talks about ending the war.
The Times of March 13, 2001: When Vladimir Zelensky and the United States meet in Washington to discuss the future of the Ukraine mission in a critical moment in the war against Russia
What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know what’s happening? What’s their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? The Times uses anonymous sources even though they have questions that are satisfactory. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source.
When Zelensky arrives in Washington, he might well experience the same revelation that Churchill did over the capital’s blazing lights at Christmas after months in the dark of air raid blackouts back home.
The decision on Patriots, which would satisfy a long-standing Ukrainian request, reflects a US process of matching its aid to the shifting strategy of Russia’s assault. The system could help counteract the missile assaults on the cities and electricity installations that Russia has mounted in an attempt to break the will of Ukrainian civilians.
It is important that Zelensky’s visit reflects a critical moment in the war against Russia, as upgraded US support could be decided before Russia can regroup, according to a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.
Conscious of pressure from his right flank, the possible next speaker, GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, has warned that Ukraine should not expect a “blank check” from the new House. Even though Ukraine still has strong Republican support in the Senate, it’s this kind of shifting political dynamic that appears to inform Kremlin perceptions about how long US resolve will last in a conflict on which Putin’s political survival may well depend.
In March, for instance, Zelensky evoked Mount Rushmore and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream Speech” during a virtual address to Congress. The fear of aerial bombardment caused two days of infamy in modern history.
The morning of December 7, 1941, was terrible at Pearl Harbor, the sky was black from the planes attacking you. Zelensky asked that he just remember it. Remember September 11 of 2001 when evil attempted to turn your cities, independent territories, into battlefields. Nobody else expected innocent people to be attacked from the air and you couldn’t stop it. Our country experiences the same every day.”
Wartime Britain meets the United States: The Patriot missile system and the role of the atomic force in the wartime fight against the Soviet Union
The wartime British leader sailed to the United States aboard HMS Duke of York, dodging U-boats in the wintery Atlantic and took a plane from the coast of Virginia to Washington, where he was met on December 22, 1941, by President Franklin Roosevelt before their joint press conference the next day.
The two leaders plotted the defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, together with the foundations of the Western, because of a regime of sherry with breakfast, Scotch and sodas, champagne in the evening, and a sip of 90-year-old brandy before bed.
After months of lobbying for the US to join in World War II, Britain’s prime minister said during a visit that he didn’t feel far from his country or family.
The Ukrainian leader is likely to appreciate the historical parallels. He paraphrased one of Churchill’s most famous wartime speeches in an emotional address to British members of parliament in March.
There are two key headline deliverables: first, the Patriot missile systems. Complex, accurate, and expensive, they have been described as the US’s “gold standard” of air defense. NATO preciously guards them, and they require the personnel who operate them – almost 100 in a battalion for each weapon – to be properly trained.
More precision weapons are vital: they ensure Ukraine hits its targets, and not any civilians remaining nearby. And it means Ukraine does not go through the hundreds or thousands of shells Russia appears to burn through as it blanket bombards areas it wants to capture.
The new deal will likely include the supply of guidance kits, or Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), which Ukraine can use to bolt on to their unguided missiles or bombs. This will increase their accuracy and the rate in which Kyiv’s forces burn through ammunition. A lot of the money is expected to be devoted to replacements and stocks.
Do we really fight for our common victory against Putin and Russia? CNN’s Volodymyr Zelensky’s historic speech at the White House
But Moscow is struggling to equip and rally its conventional forces, and, with the exception of its nuclear forces, appears to be running out of new cards to play. The use of nuclear force is less likely due to China and India’s open statements against it.
Western analysts have noted Russia has grumbled consistently about these deliveries, but been relatively muted in its practical response to the crossing of what, as recently as January, might have been considered “red lines.”
The remnants of the Trumpist “America First” elements of that party have echoed doubts about how much aid the US should really be sending to the edges of eastern Europe.
The bill for the defeat of Russia in this long and dark conflict is relatively small for Washington, given the amount of money spent on defense.
A former CNN producer and correspondent, Frida Ghitis is a world affairs columnist. She is an opinion contributor for CNN, a columnist for The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.
There were many standing ovations for the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was almost drown out by members of the United States Congress. It was an extraordinary evening, concluding an extraordinary day during a crucial moment in history.
He assured Congress that their money isn’t charity and that they need to debate billions more in military and economic support. It is an investment in global security and democracy, that we handle in the most responsible way.
“We really fight for our common victory against this tyranny that is real life,” Zelensky said in a press conference at the White House — “and we will win.”
He said the soldiers wanted him to give them a flag of the United States as a gift, because of the brutality of the battle. Tears were shed in the House.
She said Zelensky’s historic address “strengthened both Democrats and Republicans who understand what is at stake in this fight against Putin and Russian aggression and now with their ally, Iran, as well.”
The speech connected the struggle of the Ukrainian people to our own revolution and to get us to think about all the families in Ukraine that will be stuck in the cold, and to know that they are on the front lines.
“I hope that they will send more than one,” she added. She noted there’s “been some reluctance in the past” by the US and NATO to provide advanced equipment, but added “We’ve seen with our own eyes how effective Ukrainian military is.”
Clinton met Putin while he was US secretary of state, and said he was unlikely to know what would happen as the war turned in Ukraine’s favor.
“I think around now, what [Putin] is considering is how to throw more bodies, and that’s what they will be – bodies of Russian conscripts – into the fight in Ukraine,” Clinton said.
Zelensky visited to washington during a historic visit to the US: a critical look at a conflict-time leader’s vision
Zelensky, wearing a green sweatshirt, had a blue and yellow tie and the battle flag unfurled on the floor of the House of Representatives during his historic visit.
Both men made clear that they believed the war was entering a new phase. Fears of a stalemate are growing because of Russia’s brutal air campaign against civilian targets.
Zelensky left Washington for a risky return trip to Ukraine, but it wasn’t clear if that was a path to ending the conflict.
“I don’t see a path to peace that involves Ukraine giving up territory or sovereignty,” he said.
Later, in his address to Congress, Zelensky said he’d presented a 10-point peace formula to Biden – though US officials said afterward it was the same plan he offered to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit last month.
For his part, Biden said it was up to Zelensky to “decide how he wants to the war to end,” a long-held view that leaves plenty of questions unanswered.
Zelensky mentioned Battles of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War, and the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, in his address to lawmakers.
He telegraphed ahead of the speech that he would give his address in English. His army green shirt, cargo pants and boots reminded his audience that they were in the presence of a wartime leader.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/21/politics/takeaways-volodymyr-zelensky-visit-to-washington/index.html
Reply to Zelensky’s Bitter Call for More Patriots: From a Cold War to a Warm War, and an Example of How Americans Can Live
Zelensky has shown that he has an ability to appeal to both the national and the international audience.
He used dark winter nights as an example of how Americans respond to their country’s suffering.
“In two days we will celebrate Christmas. Maybe it is just a night. He stated that there will be no electricity even though it is more romantic.
He seemed aware that many Americans were asking why billions of US dollars were needed for a conflict thousands of miles away. He sought to make the cause about more than his own homeland.
The battle is more than just for the security of Ukrainians or any other nation which Russia is trying to conquer, he said. “The struggle will define in what world our children and grandchildren will live in.”
Zelensky’s candid request for more Patriots – and Biden’s lighthearted response – amounted to a window into one of the world’s most complicated relationships.
It has not always sat well with Biden or his team. But as he has with a host of other foreign leaders, Biden appeared intent Wednesday on translating physical proximity into a better understanding of his counterpart.
“It is all about looking someone in the eye. I’m trying to say it is sincerely. He believes there is no substitute for sitting face to face with a friend or foe and looking them in the eye.