An American newspaper spoke about the secret background of Zelensky’s visit to the USA
The visit of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to Washington was prepared in the strictest secrecy.
The Washington Post newspaper writes about this, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“When a U.S. military plane touched down on the runway in Rzeszow, Poland, on Tuesday, the plane's crew thought they were picking up the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and several senior Ukrainian officials.
What they didn't know until they saw him get out of an American car was that one of those officials was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who, with American help, had just made a dangerous trip from Bakhmut - the site where some of the the bloodiest events of the war, hostilities, more than 400 miles from Kiev - to the Polish border for a secretly planned visit to Washington,” the newspaper reports.
Only a small group of White House officials and other senior administration officials knew about the plans for the visit.
According to US officials who commented to the publication, Zelensky had been making it clear to Biden for months that he wanted to make his first visit to the US, “but the security situation in Ukraine made such a trip almost impossible until this month.”
The White House spokesman added that the news of the Patriot missile system being provided to Ukraine "appears to have prompted Zelensky to make the trip as quickly as possible."
On December 14, the United States sent an invitation to Zelensky, and two days later he agreed.
11 hours after the US military plane took off from Poland, Zelensky landed at the US base Andrews, and then he was taken to Blair House, the presidential residence located opposite the White House. Before the meeting with Biden, the entire Ukrainian delegation was tested for Covid
“It would be a nightmare,” one US official said of the prospect of Zelensky testing positive for the virus.
At the same time, in Congress, “most legislators were taken by surprise when it became known that Zelensky would speak at a joint session.”
“The secret planning appears to have paid off for both Zelensky and Biden. The trip was a golden opportunity for Biden to maintain momentum for the Ukraine case that has helped define his presidency. And this gave Zelensky a loud chance to show his compatriots that he and they have the support of the most powerful country in the world,” the Washington Post summarizes.
English version :: Read in English An American newspaper revealed the secret background to Zelensky's visit to the United States.