Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Ukraine was “working towards victory”, boosted by his hero’s welcome in Washington and a brief visit to Poland in a diplomatic sprint aimed at thanking the most solid allies of their country and consolidate their support.
Mr. Zelensky returned to Kyiv after his trip, which has boosted morale in a country where millions have been plunged into darkness and cold due to Russian missile attacks that have cut power as the winter
“I’m in my office,” he said in a video posted to his channel on the Telegram social media app early Friday. “We are working to get the win.”
Western allies have pumped aid into Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, and the US House gave final approval later Friday to nearly $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Friday, Mr. Zelensky specifically thanked the Netherlands for pledging 2.5 billion euros, or about $2.7 billion. “We continue to work together to increase defense capability, energy stability and restore critical infrastructure,” he posted on Twitter.
In a brief speech Thursday evening on his way home, he expressed satisfaction with his historic visit to Washington, insisting he had noted “good results” that will “really help” the ongoing war effort Ukraine
Before returning to Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky stopped in Poland, where he met for two hours with Polish President Andrzej Duda near the airport in the southeastern city of Rzeszow, a major transit point for Western arms flowing to the neighboring Ukraine and refugees fleeing Ukraine to Poland.
The place of the meeting, held a day after Mr. Mr. Zelensky met Mr. Biden in the White House was kept secret for security reasons. The video of his arrival at Rzeszow Airport showed Mr. Zelensky descended the steps of his plane dressed in green cargo pants, heavy boots and a military-style winter jacket.
Mr. doubt, in a message posted on Twitter, he said the two leaders had discussed “strategic plans for actions and cooperation in the coming 2023”, reaffirming Poland’s strong support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself from the Russian military.
Today’s meeting with the President of Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa It was not only a great opportunity to send Christmas and New Year wishes to him, his family and Ukraine, but also gave me the opportunity to discuss strategic plans of actions and cooperation for the next 2023. 🇵🇱🤝🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/CfKtkChmU1
– Andrzej Duda (@AndrzejDuda) December 22, 2022
After weeks of stalemate across much of the front, Mr. Zelensky’s high-profile visit to Washington was greeted in Ukraine mostly with pride and hope that the president’s impassioned appeals in person would keep American arms and financial support.
Dmitri S. Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin, said – as the Kremlin has argued before – that the trip showed America’s commitment to fight Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”
Although Mr. Zelensky’s visit to Washington ended with promises of billions more in US support, failing to deliver on some of the most critical requests on his arms wish list: US battle tanks, fighter jets and long-range precision missiles.
