Zelenskyj wants to secure help in Washington – the night update without photos Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Azerbaijan declares military operation over

Zelensky wants military equipment

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits his most important ally in Washington after the general UN debate in New York. He wants to meet President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and members of Congress in the US capital on Thursday afternoon (local time) to promote further support in the fight against the Russian invaders. Zelenskyj will likely arrive with some specific requests for military equipment.

This includes the Ukrainian demand for ATACMS missiles. This is a cruise missile variant with a range of up to 300 kilometers. The missiles are fired from the ground at targets on the ground. In an interview with the American television channel CNN on the sidelines of the general UN debate in New York, Zelensky renewed his desire for the weapons system. He stressed that his country had no intention of using it to attack Moscow or other targets on Russian territory.

The US government is keeping a low profile

The US government believes that the delivery of such cruise missiles is possible, but has not yet made a decision, according to information from the White House. National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby Kirby said Wednesday: “The ATACMS are not off the table.” Discussions about the weapon system were still ongoing, “but no decision has been made yet.”

Ukraine asks Germany for a similar weapon system, namely Taurus cruise missiles. They are capable of destroying bunkers and protected command posts up to 500 kilometers away. However, due to the relatively long range of the weapon systems, there are concerns that targets in Russia could also be attacked – and that the conflict could escalate into a world war.

Visit under different circumstances than last time

The Ukrainian president was already a guest in Washington at the end of December. At the time, he was welcomed as a hero, speaking to both houses of Congress to cheers from representatives and senators and taking home a major military package worth $1.85 billion – including a powerful Patriot air defense system. Since the war began, the United States says it has provided more than $43 billion in military aid to Kiev — far more than any other country. There is also extensive economic assistance.

But since that visit shortly before Christmas, the political situation in Washington has changed. Republicans have been in control of the U.S. House of Representatives since January, and there is considerable skepticism within their ranks about whether the U.S. should continue pumping money on a massive scale into a war with no end in sight. According to media reports, Zelenskyj is now scheduled to meet the senators behind closed doors. However, a meeting in this form is not planned for the members of the House of Representatives. However, on the agenda is a conversation with the Republican Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy.

Zelensky is not having an easy time in Congress

Selenskyj is unlikely to return home from the US empty-handed. But he will probably have to do more convincing in Congress. Kirby emphasized that Zelensky was the “best envoy” to explain the situation in his country to senators and representatives. The closer the end of the year approaches and the worse the weather becomes, the more difficult military operations on the ground and in the air become. It is therefore urgent that Congress approve further financial assistance to Ukraine.

Zelenskyj wants to thank you

In view of growing war-weariness in the US and other parts of the world, Zelensky has recently adopted a less brash tone than in the early months of the war. Regarding his desire for ATACMS, he said in the CNN interview that he did not come to the United States to ask for more, but to say thanks for everything the United States and others have already done. “They have been very supportive during this difficult time.”

In Washington, Zelensky is also likely to repeat the warning he sent as a central message to the United Nations in New York this week: If Russia annexes Ukraine by force, who will be next? The 45-year-old urgently warned that Russian aggression was a threat to the entire world.

Ukrainian army reports defense against Russian advance

During Zelensky’s visit to the US, the war in Ukraine continues. The Ukrainian army said on Wednesday evening that it had repulsed the advance of Russian occupation forces on two key parts of the front. Russian units attempted to recapture the village of Andriivka near Bakhmut in the Donbass, which was lost last week. However, they did not succeed. The military information could not easily be independently verified.

As a means to combat corruption in Ukraine, politicians and senior officials must now make their assets digitally public again. The Ukrainian parliament in Kiev decided this. Under pressure from civil society, she corrected her own decision last week. (sda/dpa)