Three hundred days after the start of the Russian attack, Volodymyr Zelensky was received as a hero in Washington for his first international trip since the start of the war. Joe Biden promised him new financial aid and, for the first time, the supply of the Patriot air defense system.
French President Emmanuel Macron believes that Ukraine’s entry into NATO would be experienced by Russia as a confrontation and that it is not the “most likely scenario”, in an interview with several media.
- Zelensky in front of Congress: the money donated is not “charity”
Ukraine “holds its positions and will never surrender”, launched Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday to the applause of the American Congress, to which he assured that the money paid to Ukraine was not “charity” but a “investment”. Greeted by a standing ovation from members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Ukrainian President, dressed in his traditional khaki attire, in English and with the utmost solemnity, said: “Contrary to the most dire predictions, Ukraine has not fallen. Ukraine is alive and fighting.”
“Russian tyranny no longer has control over us”, he said again, acclaimed several times during a vibrant speech of about twenty minutes, which concluded his very first trip abroad. since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
At the end of his speech, Volodymyr Zelensky turned to the leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and to Vice-President Kamala Harris, who chaired this exceptional session. “When I was in Bakhmout yesterday (a city in the east ravaged by fighting, editor’s note) our heroes gave me the flag, their flag. The banner of those who defend Ukraine, Europe and the world at the cost of their lives”, he underlined, before handing over to the leaders the blue and yellow flag, covered with the signatures of soldiers. In return, they presented him with an American flag that was hoisted atop the Capitol on Wednesday to mark his historic visit.
- Zelensky received in the Oval Office by Biden
“You will never be alone”, this is the solemn promise made in Washington by Joe Biden to Volodymyr Zelensky, while the latter said he was not ready to “no compromise” on the territorial integrity of his country. The two men, after a conversation in the Oval Office, surrounded by the heavyweights of their governments, gave a press conference.
“We realize that Ukraine’s fight is part of something much bigger,” Biden said, with Volodymyr Zelensky standing by his side dressed as usual now in a sweater and khaki pants. , wearing heavy boots. “If we do not stand up to such blatant attacks on freedom, democracy and fundamental principles such as sovereignty and territorial integrity, the world will face far worse consequences,” he said. “We will stay by your side as long as it takes,” he continued, saying he was “not at all worried” about the strength of the Western alliance, as 300 days have passed since the start of the war.
But he also indicated that if he did not send to Ukraine the more powerful armaments which it claims, in particular long-range missiles, it was for the sake of preserving this alliance. The Europeans “do not want to go to war with Russia”, he said. In this context, if the Americans began to deliver equipment of another type to kyiv, this could “fracture NATO”, feared Joe Biden.
- The United States will supply the Patriot air defense system
Volodymyr Zelensky however welcomed the sending announced by the United States of a Patriot anti-aircraft defense system, the most sophisticated of the American army. “This is a very important step in creating a safe airspace for Ukraine,” he told reporters, according to an interpreter’s translation.
“Today’s tranche of aid includes for the first time the Patriot air defense system, capable of shooting down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and aircraft at significantly higher altitudes than systems defense that had been provided so far,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
In addition, parliamentarians must soon approve a massive new package of nearly $45 billion in humanitarian and military assistance for Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s entry into NATO not “likely”, says Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron believes that Ukraine’s entry into NATO would be experienced by Russia as a confrontation and that it is not the “most likely scenario”, in an interview with several media. “The entry of Ukraine into NATO would be perceived by Russia as something confrontational. It is not with this Russia that you can imagine,” he told the daily newspapers on Wednesday. French The worldAmerican wall street journal and lebanese An Nahar.
“Whether or not Ukraine joins NATO – and this is not the most likely scenario – it will have to be given security guarantees that are all the more robust since it has been attacked by Russia”, continues -he. “At the end, we will have to put everyone around the table. And so all the Europeans and Westerners who give me moral lessons explain to me who they will be sitting around the table with,” he said. he throws. “I don’t want it to be the Chinese and the Turks alone who negotiate the next day,” he said, referring in particular to the mediation efforts of Turkish diplomacy.
- Russian lawmakers tighten prison sentences for ‘saboteurs’
Russian lawmakers on Wednesday adopted a new law providing for “long prison terms” for “saboteurs”, highlighting the emergence of terrorist threats, including from foreigners, in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. The law, which still needs to be approved by the upper house of parliament and then signed by Vladimir Putin, provides for life imprisonment for participating in sabotage activities, financing them or recruiting others to participate in them.
Anyone who has joined a sabotage group is liable to a prison sentence of up to ten years in prison, while those found complicit in acts of terrorism or sabotage are liable to a maximum prison sentence of 20 year.