Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Receives Warm Welcome at National Archives
The Crowd Gathers
Around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, the crowd of about 200 inside the Rotunda of the National Archives was getting restless. Made up of leaders of the local Washington and national Ukrainian communities, at least one Cabinet member in Attorney General Merrick Garland, and a slew of members of Congress, they had arrived to hear Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak. Some had been waiting for hours for the scheduled 5:30 p.m. speech.
A Warm Welcome
But when Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, walked out to the podium 10 minutes later, the mood switched instantly as the crowd gave them a long, raucous standing ovation.
Expressions of Gratitude
Zelenskyy’s remarks, made in front of the vault that holds the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, included some inspirational talk but mainly centered on gratitude for what the United States government and its people had done already.
A Change in Approach
It was a far cry from Zelenskyy’s appearance at the U.S. Capitol in December, a visit that had been steeped in secrecy for security reasons, and during which he made a dramatic appeal to a joint meeting of Congress in prime time.
The Need for Aid
Ukraine’s advocates had hoped Zelenskyy’s visit would push another aid package over the finish line as part of a stopgap government funding bill to avoid a shutdown. But the House’s continued struggles to pass any kind of spending bill has kept much of Washington’s focus off Ukraine.
Biden’s Requests
Biden is asking for about $20 billion more in military, economic, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, on top of about $77 billion the U.S. has already committed. While Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have said America should pause aid until Europe ponies up more, a European think tank aid tracker shows that European countries have actually committed about 132 billion euros ($140 billion), almost twice as much as the U.S., through July.
Progress on the Battlefield
On the battlefield, Ukraine is having success, but at a much slower pace than hoped. While the summer counteroffensive didn’t produce the dramatic breakthroughs that had been envisioned, Ukraine has recently taken some key villages that could be strategically useful in severing the Russian-held swath of territory linking Russia and the Crimean Peninsula.
Visual Proof of Progress
And on Thursday, the Institute for the Study of War, a nonpartisan think tank originally founded in 2007 to advocate for the military surge in Iraq, said there was visual proof that Ukrainians had at least temporarily breached the dug-in Russian defensive lines near the front-line village of Verbove.
Zelenskyy’s Reception
But if Zelenskyy touted any successes, he did so only behind closed doors this week. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declined to hold a public photo-op with Zelenskyy when the Ukrainian president visited a group of House members on Thursday. And there was no side-by-side press conference with Biden this time, as there had been in December.
The Promise of Aid
Zelenskyy left the White House with the announcement of a $325 million weapons package for his country, as well as the news that the first U.S. Abrams tanks would be arriving in his country next week.
Public Support for Aid
Polling has shown declining U.S. public support for helping Ukraine in its 19-month war against the Russian invasion as the fighting drags on and the aid tab runs higher. The biggest drop in support is among Republicans, most of whom don’t support further aid. But among the overall public, the picture is probably closer to 50-50, depending on the poll and how the question is asked.
The Importance of Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy himself may end up being a deciding factor: The Razom poll found he is the most popular foreign leader by far among Americans.
Overall, Zelenskyy’s visit to the National Archives was a moment of gratitude and recognition for the support Ukraine has received from the United States. While the political situation may have complicated the visit, the warm welcome and expressions of gratitude from both Zelenskyy and the crowd showcased the strong bond between the two nations.
