After meeting Biden and Duda
Zelenskyj is back in Ukraine
12/22/2022, 10:00 p.m
Kremlin boss Putin says he is unimpressed by the Ukrainian president’s trip to the US. At the meeting with his US counterpart Biden, Zelenky made it clear that he would like more support. After a stopover in Poland, Zelenkyj is now crossing the border back home.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has returned to Ukraine from his first trip abroad since the Russian invasion. Zelenskyy safely crossed the Ukrainian border on his way from the USA after a short stopover in Poland, spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov confirmed to the AFP news agency.
On the way back from Washington Zelenskyj met his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda. Zelenskyy called Duda a “friend of Ukraine” in online networks. The meeting in south-eastern Poland was about, among other things, “strategic plans for the future”, explained Zelenskyj. The Ukrainian President also said he thanked his Polish counterpart for the “strong support of Ukraine by Poland and its citizens”.
Zelenskyj flew to Washington on Wednesday, where he met US President Joe Biden and gave a speech to Congress. It was Zelenskyy’s first trip abroad since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began in February. In Washington, Zelenskyy was promised further financial and military assistance, including the delivery of a Patriot air defense system.
“There will always be an antidote”
Kremlin boss Putin was unimpressed by the announcement. “There will always be an antidote,” he told journalists in Moscow. The delivery was therefore “in vain” and would only prolong the conflict. However, Russia’s goal is “to end this conflict,” and “the sooner the better,” Putin said.
Regarding Putin’s comments, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia had “shown no interest in constructive diplomacy” to end the war. In a speech before the US Congress on Wednesday, Zelenskyy assured that his country would “never surrender” to the Russian aggressors. At the same time he asked Washington for further support and emphasized that this was “an investment in global security”.
His country is grateful for any support, but: “Is it enough? To be honest, not really.” In order to expel Russian troops from Ukraine, his army needs more weapons, said Zelenskyy. Previously, as part of a $1.85 billion (around 1.74 billion euros) comprehensive aid package, the United States had also promised to supply a Patriot air defense system for the first time, which Kyiv has been pushing for weeks in view of the ongoing massive Russian air attacks on its infrastructure.
Shoigu thanks soldiers
In the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, pro-Russian separatists reported the death of a mayor of a Russian-controlled village in a car explosion. “Ukrainian terrorists” are responsible for the death of the “sincere patriot,” the pro-Russian authorities said in the online service Telegram.
Accordingly, the killed was the main responsible for Lyubimivka. The place is on the east bank of the Dnipro River, which is occupied by Russian troops. Most recently, there had been repeated targeted attacks against officials deployed by Russia in the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu visited Russian soldiers at the front in Ukraine and thanked them, according to Moscow. The ministry published footage in the online service Telegram showing Shoigu inspecting barracks and walking through trenches. Russia’s chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, said that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is currently focused on the “complete liberation” of Donetsk.