Biden invites Zelenskyy to White House for 12 December meeting

11 months ago 40

US President Joe Biden has invited Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a meeting at the White House on Tuesday (12 December) to discuss the ongoing war against Russia and the “vital importance” of continued US support of their defense efforts.

The White House in a statement on Sunday said the two will discuss the “urgent needs” facing Ukraine. The meeting comes as the White House looks to strike an agreement with Congress that would provide military aid for Ukraine and Israel.

Zelenskyy’s office also said on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app that the Ukrainian leader would arrive in Washington on Monday and that he would meet Biden during a working visit that would include “a series of meetings and discussions.”

Zelenskyy has also been invited to address US senators on Tuesday at 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) in the Capitol, a Senate leadership aide said on Sunday.

A private meeting between Zelenskyy and US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson will also be held in the Capitol on Tuesday, Johnson spokesman Raj Shah said in an email to Reuters.

Key topics during Zelenskiy’s visit would include defense cooperation between the United States and Ukraine, “particularly through joint projects on the production of weapons and air defense systems, as well as the coordination of efforts between our countries in the coming year,” Zelenskyy’s office said.

‘Hard talk’ with Orbán

Zelenskyy, who is on the American continent, said he had a “frank” conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the sidelines of the inauguration of Argentine President Javier Milei on Sunday.

“It was as frank as possible – and obviously, it was about our European affairs,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address posted on the Telegram channel early on Monday.

The meeting took place against a backdrop of Orbán’s threatening to block more European Union financial support to Kyiv, his opposition of Ukraine’s entry to the bloc and the White House intensifying its push for Kyiv aid after Republicans blocked an emergency spending bill to fund the war.

Orbán’s press chief Bertalan Havasi confirmed the meeting in an email that did not address whether the Hungarian leader would continue to oppose Ukraine’s entry to the European Union.

“With regards to Ukraine’s EU accession, Viktor Orbán signalled that the member states of the European Union were continuously discussing the issue,” Havasi said in the email.

A video on the Argentine Senate’s YouTube channel showed Zelenskyy and Orbán conversing for about 20 seconds as they mingled with other guests in the Argentine parliament, ahead of an EU summit on 14-15 December, set to decide whether to start membership talks with Ukraine.

Orbán has repeatedly said he opposes starting talks now. Any decision to proceed has to be unanimous.

Orbán has also threatened to block moves to give Kyiv 50 billion euros ($53.80 billion) in budget support through 2027, though a senior official said on Friday the EU would find ways to support Ukraine financially even if Hungary vetoed the move.

Zelenskyy said earlier he had spoken by telephone with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to coordinate their positions.

“We are counting on a positive decision regarding the allocation of €50 billion and the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU,” he said in a post on Telegram.

“Europe must decisively defend its values and unity. I know that we can rely on the support of Madam President in this matter,” he added.

(Edited by Georgi Gotev)