Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first woman, declined a White Home invitation to attend President Biden’s State of the Union deal with on Thursday, her workplace mentioned, citing a scheduling battle.
“As a result of scheduled occasions, together with a go to of youngsters from an orphanage to Kyiv, which was deliberate prematurely, the primary woman will sadly not be capable to attend the occasion,” Tetiana Haiduchenko, Ms. Zelenska’s press secretary, mentioned on Wednesday.
Yulia Navalnaya — the widow of the Russian opposition chief Alexei A. Navalny, who died in a Russian jail final month — was additionally invited to the deal with however is unable to attend, the White Home mentioned on Tuesday.
The invitation to Ms. Zelenska, and the truth that she was unable to make it, had been reported Tuesday night by The Washington Put up.
The White Home hoped to have each girls on the speech as an illustration of the combat for freedom and a present of resistance to Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, in keeping with an individual accustomed to the planning for the deal with. In addition they believed that having each girls there could be a robust image of how excessive the stakes are to these opposing additional assist to Ukraine.
Mr. Biden has been urgent Republicans in Congress to approve a $60 billion navy and monetary assist package deal for Ukraine, and he’s anticipated to make an enormous push for continued assist in his deal with Thursday evening.
Going through setbacks on the battlefield, Ukraine has mentioned it urgently wants American navy assist to maintain up its protection.
Ms. Zelenska’s resolution to not attend Mr. Biden’s speech contrasts with Kyiv’s ordinary readiness to place representatives on the worldwide scene to rally assist for the war-torn nation. She and her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky, have traveled extensively world wide since Russia’s full-scale invasion started two years in the past, attending award ceremonies, diplomatic conferences and presidential inaugurations.
However current journeys by Ukrainian officers to america have yielded few outcomes. Mr. Zelensky left Washington empty-handed in December after assembly with Mr. Biden and Congress members whom he hoped to steer to unblock the a $60 billion assist package deal.
Anatoly Kurmanaev and Oleksandra Mykolyshyn contributed reporting.
