December 22, 2022, 9:53 AM
December 22, 2022, 9:53 AM
For the first time since the start of the war, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky He left his country to go to Washington, where he was received by his counterpart Joe Biden and by the US Congress. With this trip, Zelenski sought to reinforce the aid coming from this country, which has not skimped on sending more reinforcements than the Europeans. On this occasion, the United States prioritized weapons for air defense.
Reporting from Washington, Cristóbal Vásquez
Volodomir Zelenki’s visit to Washington culminated in a speech before the plenary session of the congress that lasted 25 minutes. Zelensky thanked the Americans for the nearly $20 billion Ukraine has received in military and humanitarian aid since the war began 10 months ago.
For his part, Joe Biden affirmed that he will continue to support Ukraine with all the necessary reinforcements for the country to defend itself, and above all in weapons for air defense: the surface-to-air missiles (SAM) known as MIM-104 Patriot.
“Today’s aid includes for the first time the Patriot Air Defense System, capable of shooting down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and aircraft at a ceiling significantly higher than previously provided air defense systems,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
Faced with such an offer from the US government, the Ukrainian president responded that such support “is not charity, it is an investment in democracy and global security that we manage in the most responsible way possible.”
Zelensky’s speech and visit come days before the deadline to approve the government’s $1.7 trillion operating budget that includes $45 billion in aid to Ukraine in fiscal year 2023. Military aid that has been questioned by Republican congressmen who as of January 3 they will have a majority in the House of Representatives.
It should be noted that of this aid package to Ukraine in 2023, $9 billion would go to the Ukrainian military, $12 billion to replenish US equipment that was previously shipped, and another $13 billion in economic support for the Ukrainian government.
