Volodymyr Zelensky Visit the White House Ukraine and the United States are “strategic partners” for the first time in history, the senior adviser to the Ukrainian leader confirmed in an interview back home.
Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, told the Guardian that Wednesday’s trip strengthened Zelensky’s relationship with the US president, Joe Biden – and with leading US Republicans, despite the “dirty” comments made by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Yermak said that the summit and press conference between the two leaders showed “how deeply personal a position President Biden feels for everything Ukraine-related,” and that the United States was “a true leader of the free world and democracy.”
Yermak’s emphasis on the personal bonds forged by the surprise visit, the first time Zelensky has been outside Ukraine since the start of the war, comes despite the failure to immediately obtain US Abrams tanks, F-16 fighter jets and a long-range tactical army. The ATACMS missile system that Ukraine said it needed to defeat Russia.
But it shows a belief in Kyiv that Ukraine must emphasize the moral dimension of its fight against the invading Russian army and its belief in its relationship with the United States to unleash more and more much-needed military aid as the war draws closer. Anniversary in February.
“it’s a [the] The first time in history that Ukraine and [the] The United States is a close strategic partner. There is a very warm and friendly relationship, [a] personal relationship between [the] Yermak, who was next to Zelensky during the flight, said.
In addition to meeting with Biden, Yermak highlighted meetings Zelensky had with US congressional leaders, including meetings with top Republicans Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, and Kevin McCarthy, the leading candidate for Speaker of the House next month.
The Ukrainian contrasted that with the position of Carlson, who said Zelensky looked like a “strip club manager” who should have been expelled from Congress for wearing his own khaki uniform when he addressed the country’s lawmakers.
Yermak said Carlson was “saying dirty things,” but that he “is not the voice of the Republican Party, it’s not a voice [the] The Republican Party and I can come to this conclusion after we have met with my representatives [the] The Republican Party in Congress.”
During the visit, Biden has already announced $1.85bn (£1.54bn) in new military aid to Ukraine, including the delivery of one Patriot missile defense system, a longstanding demand from Kyiv to help it better defend its cities and power grid, which is now vulnerable. Frequent power outages after continuous Russian bombing.
Now that he’s back in Kyiv, speaking via video call, Yermak said he believes this will help unlock further military support. “I hope we will receive everything we need and this visit will send a very strong signal to all allies that the United States believes we will win,” said the aide to the president.
Kyiv has been clamoring for a mix of American and European weapons, such as German-made Leopard tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles, as it tries to find a way to break through Russia’s front lines in the new year.
Yermak refused to say when and where Ukraine might launch its next counterattack, but predicted that 2023 would be a defining moment in the war. We will do everything we can to take back our lands. I understand that it will be difficult and hard work. Our great and brave nation will continue to fight. I am sure that next year will truly be the year of triumph.
In response to a question whether the victory includes the recovery of Crimea, It was annexed by Russia in 2014He replied: “Absolutely.” The US administration has not explicitly supported Zelensky’s pledge to retake the peninsula – a task most analysts believe will be difficult for the Ukrainian military.
The chief of staff said he did not want to speculate about Vladimir Putin’s trip this week to meet Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenkoin the capital, Minsk. The recent buildup of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine has raised fears that Putin may be planning an offensive again from the north, in another attempt to take Kyiv, along the lines of Russia’s doomed advance in February.
“We have danger along the entire border,” Yermak said, adding, “I’m not keen to know what’s going on in Putin’s head.” He said that Kyiv had received intelligence from its partners and front-line soldiers, and was ready for “any kind of provocation”.
On Friday, the United States also accused North Korea of providing the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which is fighting on behalf of the Kremlin in eastern Donbass, with “principled weapons delivery” of missiles and rockets. North Korea and Wagner denied the report.
Asked how Zelensky would put up with the approaching first anniversary of the conquest of Moscow, Yermak said: “He’s fine.” He added: “Of course he works a lot. For him it’s normal. He worked all his life. He’s a responsible person, deeply involved in everything: weapons, military strategy, energy and economic issues. He’s the best choice for the Ukrainian people.”
A former film producer and lawyer, Yermak joined the Presidential Administration in 2019 thereafter Zelensky’s landslide victory in the elections. Early the following year he became Chief of Staff. He called his boss “the best boss” in the “current history of Ukraine”.
The unprovoked Russian invasion, he said, propelled Zelensky to an extraordinary level of universal acclaim: “Now Ukraine is the leader of the free world and the leader of our region. We have a strong army. We liberate our lands and fight what is called the second largest army on the planet.”
Yermak concluded: “There are terrible tragedies: we lose the best people. But we will definitely win.
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