KYIV, Ukraine – President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Unannounced Trip to Washington Wednesday lifted spirits back home in Ukraine, where millions have been plunged into darkness and cold as Russian missile attacks have knocked out power as winter sets in.
After weeks of stalemate along much of the front, some Ukrainians said on Thursday they were cheered when they saw multiple members of Parliament chanting during Mr Zelensky’s appearance a day before the love chorus. water “Glory to the heroes!”
The high-level visit were greeted in Ukraine mostly with pride and hope that their president’s passionate direct appeals would keep American arms and financial support flowing.
“Guys, everything will be fine, Ukraine will be fine, we will be provided with everything, we will be helped,” Valeriy Tryhub, a ski coach, wrote in a Facebook post.
Contacted by phone later, Mr. Tryhub said he stayed up until 2:30 a.m. to watch Mr Zelensky’s speech to a joint session of Parliament, where the Ukrainian leader received a standing ovation and given to Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. a Ukrainian flag was signed by soldiers.
“No exaggeration, this is a historic event,” he said of Zelensky’s first foreign trip since the February invasion of Russia.
Tetiana Bisyk, a writer, wrote on Twitter on Thursday, “Never in my life, I never imagined the president of Ukraine would speak before Parliament,” adding, “I am so proud to be Ukrainian .”
In Russia, President Vladimir V. Putin stated he wanted the fighting to end and called on Ukraine to negotiate. “Our goal is not to turn the flywheel of a military conflict, but on the contrary, to end this war,” he said at a news conference on Thursday. “We are striving for this and will continue.”
But sticking to the Kremlin’s propaganda script, Putin accused the United States of going to war with Ukraine in 2014 by backing the country’s pro-Western revolution and Ukraine’s military action in the east of the country. . (In fact, it was Russia who sparked and orchestrated much of the separatist conflict there.)
Moscow has accused Ukraine of not being willing to sit down and Mr. Putin did so again on Thursday. “Of course, sooner or later, whichever side is in conflict will sit down and come to an agreement,” he said. “The quicker this realization comes to those who are against us, the better.”
Zelensky’s visit to Washington was treated by Russian commentators with taunt.
Rodion Miroshnik, a pro-Kremlin analyst, said: “A man in a rumpled green sweater, called the president of a sovereign independent state, flew on a plane. American flight to an American airbase.
Some Russian commentators say that the way he arrived in Washington proves he is an American henchman.
Vladimir Solovyov, the host of the leading political talk show on Russian state television, declared: “A little devil has come to see old Satan.
On Thursday, Dmitri S. Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, also said – as the Kremlin has previously argued – that the trip demonstrates the US commitment to counter Russia “to the last Ukrainians. “.
Zelensky’s visit drew praise from two of Ukraine’s allies, Germany and France.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, chair of the defense committee in Germany’s parliament, said on Thursday that it was a relief to see that the rivalry between Republicans and Democrats had not undermined her support. United States against Ukraine in the war.
“It’s a hugely important signal to all Ukrainians who are fighting for their survival, but also a very powerful gesture to Europe, that the United States is standing by,” she said. with Europe”.
In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman called Mr Zelensky’s visit a “hopeful sign”, though not a “game changer”.
In France, the visit is considered by many to be historic, with Mr Zelensky being described as having received a hero’s welcome. “It was a real show of force,” said Dominique de Villepin, France’s foreign minister from 2002 to 2004. told radio France Inter.
Even amid the excitement in Ukraine, some have taken note of caution.
Mr. Zelensky has returned home with at least one tangible benefit: $1.8 billion in additional military aid announced on Wednesday, including a Patriot missile battery, one of the most advanced air defense systems. But Congress’ passage of the aggregate spending bill, which includes nearly $50 billion in additional funding for Ukraine, did not happen immediately Wednesday night because of an impasse over immigration policy and negotiations. judgment is still ongoing.
Artur Bilous, a political analyst, wrote on Facebook that although “never before has a Ukrainian president been greeted like this” in Washington, Mr. Zelensky’s trip will ultimately only be judged as a success. work if it helps speed up the flow of weapons.
“In particular, how quickly military aid will be delivered, first of all the Patriot air defense system,” Bilous wrote.
It was, however, a mostly triumphant visit, secretly planned, for Mr. Zelensky, a former comedian who was landslide elected in 2019 but whose popularity has faltered. declined before the Russian invasion. Mr. Zelensky remained in Kyiv even as the capital appeared to be about to fall early in the war, and most Ukrainians quickly set aside politics to rally around their president.
“Putin, I hope you are watching this in real time,” Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, posted on Twitter. “We. Will. Win.”
At home, Mr. Zelensky’s trip received covered most news outlets, pausing updates on the power outage in Kyiv and fighting along the front.
The website Evropeiska Pravda reported: “The reality is that the president of Ukraine has become a symbol of democracy and courage for Western voters.
The trip helped cement bipartisan support for Ukraine’s support in the United States, the news agency suggested in a commentary. “Voters, especially American voters, love heroes,” it wrote.
This moment is very important, said Mr. Tryhub, the ski instructor.
“More than ever, we need the world’s support in our struggle for independence,” he said. “The US was one of many countries that finally realized that without support from abroad, we could not win. So we need help, especially when we have shared values like democracy and freedom.”
On his way back from Washington on Thursday, Mr. Zelensky went to Poland, where, he sayhe met with President Andrzej Duda.
Zelensky also recorded a video highlighting specific benefits to be gained from negotiations with the Americans, including weapons that Ukraine will receive under the military aid package announced in Washington. That package includes Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, which Putin dismissed as obsolete at Thursday’s press conference but would be good news for Ukrainians regularly terrorized by Russian missile attacks. targeting electricity infrastructure.
“We are traveling with good results,” Mr. Zelensky said. “These results will be really helpful.”
He noted the agreement to transfer Patriots to Ukraine and hinted at additional unannounced aid. The Ukrainian leader said he would talk about other agreements later.
Andrew E. Kramer reports from Kiev, Ukraine, and Ivan Nechepurenko from Tbilisi, Georgia. Report contributed by Maria Varennikova from Kyiv, Anton Troianovski and Erika Salomon from Berlin, and like Aurelien from Paris.
