Symbolism, arms deliveries and peace talks: Selenskyj with Biden, Putin friend Medvedev with Xi
Created: 12/21/2022, 12:11 p.m
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
US President Joe Biden (r) and Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, during a conversation in the Oval Office.
© Evan Vucci/AP/dpa
Selenskyj visits the USA, Medvedev travels to Beijing.
The Ukraine war shifted to the big world stage on Wednesday.
Will Kiev's demands be met?
Washington/Munich – Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine continues uninterrupted.
Ukraine relies heavily on Western aid for defense against Russian troops.
The United States will take the lion's share.
The first and quite unexpected trip abroad by the Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyj is now going to Washington.
In talks with US President Joe Biden and in a speech to Congress, he is likely to seek more support and weapons.
However, this visit will probably not open all doors.
Ukraine war: Zelenskyj visits the USA – “deep strategic discussions”
Zelenskyj announced his visit to the United States on Twitter.
According to a report in the US daily
Politico
, the sudden visit surprised even high-ranking government officials and members of Congress.
Apparently, preparations for a visit had been going on for several weeks.
A US official told the newspaper that Biden invited Zelenskyy on December 11.
The officials are now expecting a discussion about weapons in particular.
Indeed, this may prove to be the trickiest point of the Zelenskyi-Biden meeting.
The US president will emphasize during the talks that the US would support Ukraine "for as long as necessary," a senior US official said, according to US broadcaster CNN.
In addition, there will also be “deep strategic discussions about the next steps on the battlefield”.
However, Kyiv and Washington disagree on how far US aid should go.
Ukraine war: Kyiv demands long-range missiles – but the USA do not want to deliver
The Ukrainian government is repeatedly demanding long-range precision missiles, which Kyiv says would enable more effective defense.
The Biden administration, however, is concerned that these weapons could be used in attacks directly on Russian territory.
The result would most likely be a more aggressive and deadly Russian military campaign.
Also, the Biden government wants to avoid US involvement in the war.
"We do not want to enter direct war with Russia," the senior US official told CNN.
Even Zelensky's visit will not change that.
But Ukraine remains adamant about longer-range missiles, fearing a Russian backlash and a loss of current momentum if gains over the past few weeks are not consolidated with fresh attacks, such as in Kherson.
"Our strategy is to keep attacking because we cannot afford to freeze the front line,"
Politico
quoted Ukraine's military adviser and former national security adviser Oleksander Danjlyuk as saying.
With the current weapons you are at the limit, which is why you need long-range weapons for the "next phase".
Ukraine war: US wants to deliver Patriots instead of ATACMS missiles
Ukraine's eyes are focused in particular on the ATACMS, a long-range missile system.
The Ukrainian delegation led by Zelenskyy is likely to demand the weapon system again in Washington, but this demand will most likely fall on deaf ears.
According to US officials, the risks of such an arms shipment are simply too high.
After all, this could provoke Putin and lead to the use of deadlier weapons by Russia.
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However, Zelenskyy will certainly not go away empty-handed and with only literal assurances of help, because the US plans to meet a demand for a defensive weapon.
The Biden administration will present a new military aid package worth around $2 billion to the Ukrainian delegation.
The absolute crown jewel: the Patriot air defense system, which Kyiv has been demanding for a long time.
The defense weapon is designed to intercept ballistic missiles and Iranian kamikaze drones deployed by Russia.
However, Ukraine needs much more for aggressive advances in the east of the country.
Therefore, Kyiv is only half satisfied.
Moscow also threatened Washington with consequences regarding Patriots.
War in Ukraine: Symbolic message from Zelenskyj's visit to the USA
In addition to all the discussions about arms deliveries and aid packages, there is no doubt that Zelenskyy's visit to the USA also sends a strong, symbolic message.
The message goes two ways: to the rest of the North Atlantic Alliance and to US domestic policy.
International aid for Ukraine is currently threatening to gradually weaken.
White House sources told
Politico
that the visit, and thereby highlighting US support for Ukraine, was important in continuing to mobilize allies in Europe for the aid effort despite the energy crisis.
Meanwhile, Republicans are again taking control of the House of Representatives and say they don't want to approve future aid packages for Ukraine as easily as before.
The senior US official said
amid the difficult winter months of the war, this is an "important opportunity" for Zelenskyy to reach out to American citizens , according to
Politico .
Apparently, the Biden administration believes that Ukraine's president's visit and speech to Congress can act as a bulwark against Republican resistance.
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Putin's confidant Medvedev travels to China - 'shared goals' with Xi
While Zelenskyy visits the US, Russia looks to China for support.
Former President, Putin confidante and currently deputy head of the National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, visited the Chinese capital Beijing and met with President Xi Jinping.
The Russian state news agency Tass reported that Medvedev and Xi discussed "important international issues".
In addition, the meeting highlighted "a broad consensus in the views of Moscow and Beijing on the world's most pressing problems."
Moscow repeatedly emphasizes that Russia is by no means internationally isolated as a result of the Ukraine war.
Therefore, official meetings, trips abroad and even telephone calls are of great importance for the Kremlin to be able to prove the opposite of "isolation".
China in particular is seen as a critical ally.
Medvedev and Xi have reached an agreement to strengthen Russian-Chinese cooperation in view of Xi and Putin's "common goals," Tass reported.
Medvedev in China: Xi calls for "restraint" and peace talks for Ukraine
The current situation in Ukraine was also discussed at the meeting.
China supports Russia and does not accuse the Kremlin of aggressive war, but at the same time the country is trying to avoid an escalation of tensions with the West.
That is why Beijing keeps calling for peace talks.
According to the state news agency Xinhua, Xi did the same when he met Medvedev.
His government was "actively committed to peace and talks," he said.
"China hopes the relevant parties will remain rational and restrained," Xi said.
He called on the warring parties to resolve security concerns through political channels and to start a "comprehensive dialogue".
(bb)
