The previous trip of the President of Ukraine to the USA took place in September. Several meetings and negotiations are planned for this time:
– Meeting with Joe Biden at the White House.
– Meeting with senators, to which Zelenskyy was invited by the leaders of the Democrats and Republicans.
– Negotiations with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a member of the Republican Party.
Some politicians believe that the decision to visit the USA was almost spontaneous and explain it in terms of logistics; if you already had to march across the ocean for the inauguration, you should also visit the principal partner of the country. Most likely, the trip is not accidental but caused by necessity. It was probably finally agreed upon last week during the visit of the Ukrainian government delegation to the defense industry conference.
The main thing
Without further explanation, it is clear that Zelenskyy’s primary goal is to try to change the position of the Senate regarding aid to Ukraine. Domestic political problems in the USA became an obstacle not only for Kyiv but also for Israel and Taiwan. The task of the Ukrainian President is to convince not only senators but also American society that aid to Ukraine is in the interests of the United States.
The senators suggested in an interview the other day that without the support of the Americans, the risk of a second attack on Kyiv by the Russian army increases significantly.
Why is this week crucial? Immediately after that, the senators go on Christmas vacation, so the unresolved issue will hang in the air.
The fact that you can expect anything from the discussion is clear from last week’s experience: the President of Ukraine was supposed to speak at the briefing, but due to internal disputes, it became inappropriate. And if last time Biden was not ready for serious concessions in migration matters, which became a stumbling block for allocating aid to Kyiv, now he is determined to make them.
Backup options
Directly during the meeting with Biden, Zelenskyy will be able to discuss how to act if the senators still do not agree to the allocation of aid. A period of one or two months will be critical, and it will be about this. In addition, the following questions can be considered:
– general strategy for 2024;
– Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine in the context of the NATO summit;
– security guarantees from the USA and Europe;
– possibility of peace negotiations with the Russian Federation.
Although Ukrainians do not like the last option (Zelenskyy constantly rejects it in interviews), it may be the only possible one. Moreover, to clearly understand your position and achieve the highest possible results, it is better to be ready for it, too.
