Saturday, September 23, 2023

HE GOT FAWNED OVER IN CANADA
Zelensky Had a Bizarre and Frustrating Trip to the U.S.

Fred Kaplan
SLATE
Fri, September 22, 2023 

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to America this week hoping for a reprise of the cheering adulation and pledges of massive military support that he received during his last visit, 10 months ago. Instead, he smacked into arcades of dysfunction.

On his first stop, at the United Nations, he gave an impassioned speech before the General Assembly—but more than a third of the hall’s seats were empty, the heads of state from four of the Security Council’s five permanent members were no-shows, and his meeting with the council dramatized that body’s inability to help him stave off Russia’s aggression.

Then came a trip to Capitol Hill, in which the beleaguered House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, not only declined Zelensky’s request to address a joint session of Congress but barred him from the chamber’s private meeting room, directing the few House Republicans who wanted to greet him to do so at the National Archives, nearly a mile away. (More than half the Senators—including several Republicans—attended a briefing by Kyiv’s wartime leader on the other side of the Capitol.)

Finally, President Biden warmly welcomed Zelensky to the White House for the second time and promised him yet another package. But Biden denied him the long-range ATACMS missiles, at least for now, and it is unclear whether Congress—which is on the verge of forcing a government shutdown, owing to a few House Republicans’ guerrilla tactics—will approve any more funding. Then there’s the nightmare of Donald Trump’s possible return to power a year and a few months from now, in which case Kyiv is likely doomed to a coup by some Kremlin-backed quisling.

Zelensky’s plane ride back home must have been a bit grim.

The U.N. follies seemed especially discouraging. His entry into the Security Council started out well. The Russian ambassador protested that, since Ukraine is not a council member, Zelensky should not be allowed to speak at all. To which Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama—one of the rotating nonpermanent council members who happened to be serving as chair—proposed a mirthful deal: “You stop the war, and President Zelensky will not take the floor.”

But then things went badly. Under the U.N. Charter’s rules, each of the council’s five permanent members has the right to veto any resolution—which is how Russia has managed to block any serious move to condemn Moscow or support Kyiv in this war. In frustration, Zelensky railed against the charter itself, urging the council to change the rule—to allow the General Assembly to override a veto.

The problem is that it takes two-thirds of the General Assembly to change any rule. In any case, none of the Security Council’s members are likely to surrender their power. It is worth noting that although Russia has vetoed resolutions 121 times over the decades (including during its days as the Soviet Union), the U.S. has done so 82 times; China, 17 times; and France, 16 times. In April 2022, the General Assembly passed a resolution requiring debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council, but this hasn’t led to any reversals.

In other episodes not involving Ukraine, the U.N. showed itself incapable of seriousness. At a breakaway session to discuss climate change, Secretary-General António Guterres excluded the world’s five largest emitters of greenhouse gases—China, the U.S., Russia, India, and Japan—from attending. Since no remedies can be negotiated without those countries’ involvement, Guterres all but admitted that the whole meeting was mere theater.

By the time Zelensky moved on to Washington, Capitol Hill was plowed over in a theater of the absurd. The week before, the handful of MAGA extremists in the House had threatened to shut down the government and possibly evict McCarthy from his speaker’s chair if he didn’t undertake an inquiry into impeaching Biden. McCarthy relented—but the faction, small but crucial to the Republicans’ slender majority, persisted in its threat.

McCarthy lashed out in an interview on Fox News: “This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down. That doesn’t work.” He was wrong about two things. First, it’s not new—McCarthy caved to these individuals in order to win the speakership. Second, for the moment, it seems to be working.

Privately, McCarthy favors the continued support of Ukraine. He reportedly told Zelensky as much in a closed meeting. But because the extremists who hold a sword over his head oppose giving Kyiv any more money, he can’t say so publicly. Instead, he fumed to reporters: “Was Zelensky elected to Congress? Is he our president? I don’t think so”—a remark that must have warmed Vladimir Putin’s heart.

Finally came the much friendlier meeting with Biden, who repeated assurances that he would do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to support Ukraine and hoped that Congress would wind up doing the right thing. But then his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, announced that, contrary to leaked news stories a few days earlier, the new aid package would not include the long-range ATACMS missile, which Zelensky has been desiring—though, Sullivan added, Biden had “not taken it off the table for the future.”

This is bizarre. There are legitimate arguments both for and against providing ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. On the one hand, the missiles have a range of 190 miles, giving Ukraine the ability to strike targets on Crimea and well into Russian territory. On the other hand, striking such targets may cross Putin’s “red lines” and push him to escalate the war. Whichever view is right, it makes little sense to deny the missiles now but leave them on the table for later. If Biden isn’t on principle against providing them at some point, then now is the time to send them.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Biden might send an older model of ATACMS that is armed with cluster bombs. If true, this suggests that he might have been persuaded by some U.S. Army officers who have argued that our own stockpile of ATACMS missiles is too dwindled to share them with others. Since the U.S. doesn’t use cluster bombs in its own operations, the older missiles might therefore be free to go.

In any case, Zelensky is not having a good month. The counteroffensive is progressing much more slowly than he had hoped. The New York sessions revealed that the U.N. can’t put effective pressure on Russia. The trip to D.C. must have affirmed his suspicions that there might be limits on American patience and aid.

A week before this trip, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was hosting the G20 summit, barred Zelensky from attending. And just yesterday, as Zelensky was wrapping up his American voyage, Mateusz Morawiecki—the prime minister of Poland, one of Ukraine’s leading allies—said he would no longer be sending Kyiv modern weapons, as the country needs them for its own defense. Polish President Andrzej Duda clarified that Poland would send older weapons, but still, the damage was done.

Ukraine’s cause in the war is as valid as ever. Its plight in the war is at least as urgent. Yet Zelensky is running into obstacles beyond his control, ones that have less to do with the merits of his case than with the limits of international institutions and the morbidity of domestic politics (in the U.S. and elsewhere). Meanwhile, the war grinds on in a stalemate. There are no available guarantors of a peace, nor even a formula for a cease-fire that wouldn’t strike one side or the other as a surrender. Meanwhile, Putin’s reign, which many once saw as fragile, seems very durable: The war is likely to persist as long as he is in power, and that’s likely to be the case for a while.
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SORRY WE GOTTA GO FOR THE WEEKEND

McCarthy rejected Zelensky’s request to address Congress during visit

Brad Dress
Thu, September 21, 2023 



Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declined a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to address Congress Thursday, saying there was not enough time.

“Zelensky asked us for a joint session; we just didn’t have time,” McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill, according to videos of the exchange.

The comments come as the House is struggling to advance funding bills with a deadline looming at the end of the month and with continued financial support for Ukraine one of the sticking points among conservatives.

Zelensky, who addressed a joint session of Congress during his last visit in December, traveled to Washington Thursday to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill as he seeks to shore up support for more U.S. aid in the fight against Russia.

While the entire Senate met with Zelensky in the Old Senate Chamber, only a select few House leaders attended a meeting on the other side of Capitol Hill.

McCarthy said the Zelensky meeting was no different than previous ones the House has held with foreign leaders.

“What we’re doing for Zelensky is the exactly the same thing we did for the prime minister of the U.K., the prime minister of Italy,” he said.

Approved U.S. aid for Ukraine is running out fast, and Congress will soon need to approve another package.

President Biden has requested $24 billion in additional funding, but there remains no clear path to passing a supplemental in Congress at the moment, which is currently ensnared in a crisis to keep the government funded.

Zelensky is also meeting Thursday with leaders at the Pentagon and with Biden in the White House.

THE LARGEST UKRAINIAN DIASPORA
Zelenskyy invites Canadian businessmen to rebuild Ukraine
Ukrainska Pravda
Fri, September 22, 2023 


President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have met with Canadian business leaders interested in investing in Ukraine.

Source: Ukrinform

Quote: "Right now, we are most interested in the reconstruction of Ukraine: energy facilities, water supply, dams, infrastructure and, of course, military equipment.

The second part is the start of work on the transformation of Ukraine, which will take place after the war. I would say that it is cheaper to do this now than after the victory. So, please, open [your businesses – ed.] in Ukraine, we are very interested in jobs, new businesses and technologies, and we are very digitalised, probably the leaders in Europe in this area."

Details: For his part, Trudeau noted that there is still a lot of work to be done in the area of humanitarian and military assistance, which his government is working on, but much of it also concerns the economic bloc: "So I'm very pleased that business leaders are here to talk to President Zelenskyy."

Background:

Zelenskyy arrived on an unannounced visit to Canada after visiting the United States, where he met with US President Joe Biden.

During the talks, the leaders of Ukraine and Canada discussed Ukraine's defence needs, further financial and humanitarian support for Kyiv, as well as economic and investment collaboration.

Zelenskyy meets with Canadian Prime Minister
Ukrainska Pravda
Fri, September 22, 2023



Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, arrived at the Canadian Parliament on 22 September, where he was welcomed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Source: European Pravda

In a brief statement for the media Zelenskyy underlined Ukraine’s gratitude to Canada, its government and people for their support from the very beginning of the full-scale war.

"I would like to thank you for taking in Ukrainians during this hard period, for helping us on the battlefield with your military, financial, and humanitarian aid. Thank you for being with us, for standing up for the sake of our freedom," Zelenskyy said.

Trudeau in his turn stated that for him meeting the President of Ukraine "is another opportunity to sit down and talk about everything we need to do together, express our support of the rule of law and everything Ukraine does."

He also confirmed that Canada "decisively and unequivocally" supports Ukraine in its fights against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

It is expected that the Ukrainian and Canadian leaders will discuss Ukraine’s defence needs, further financial and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, as well as economic and investment cooperation. Later on 22 September, according to the Canadian media, Zelenskyy will make a speech in front of the Canadian law-makers.

Background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Canada on an unannounced visit after visiting the US where he met the US President Joe Biden.

During the visit the US announced that Ukraine will be supplied with a new aid package in the security and defence sector worth a total amount of US$325 million.

Zelensky Welcomed by Trudeau in Ottawa for Start of Canada Visit

Storyful
Fri, September 22, 2023 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena, to Ottawa on Thursday, September 21.

The visit is Zelensky’s first to Canada since the start of the war, according to national media.

The Ukrainian president was to address the Canadian parliament on Friday, and was also expected to visit business leaders in Toronto, according to reports. Credit: Justin Trudeau via Storyful

Canada announces $480 million aid program for Ukraine

The New Voice of Ukraine
Fri, September 22, 2023 

Justin Trudeau in the Parliament of Canada, September 22, 2023

Canada will extend a three-year-long $482 million aid program to Ukraine, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Sept. 22.

In a joint address to the Canadian parliament with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting Kyiv for as long as necessary.

Read also: Biden promises Zelenskyy a number of ATACMS missiles — report

He said the government would provide long-term assistance: CAD 650 million ($482 million), which will be used for 50 armored vehicles manufactured in Ontario. Trudeau also stated that Canada would send instructors to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

Read also: Zelenskyy in Canada to address parliament, drum up investment in meeting with business leaders in Toronto

Previously, Canadian broadcaster CTV reported that as part of the aid program, Canada would supply Ukraine with additional Leopard-2 tanks.

The Ukrainian president and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived in Canada on Sept. 22 after their visit to the United StatesUkraine’s head of state met with Trudeau, discussing Kyiv’s military needs, future financial and humanitarian support, as well as economic and investment cooperation.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy to visit Canada, address parliament

Kanishka Singh
Thu, September 21, 2023 


Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and Ukraine's President Zelenskiy shake hands during press conference in Kyiv

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit Canada to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and address the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, Trudeau's office said in a statement late on Thursday, after Zelenskiy's U.S. visit wrapped up.

"The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will visit Canada, from September 21 to 22, 2023," Trudeau's office said.

Zelenskiy was in Washington on Thursday where he met U.S. lawmakers and President Joe Biden, a day after addressing the U.N. Security Council in-person for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

While in Canada, Zelenskiy will also visit Toronto to meet with Canadian business leaders to strengthen private-sector investment in Ukraine's future, the Canadian prime minister's office said.

"Canada remains unwavering in our support to the people of Ukraine as they fight for their sovereignty and their democracy, as well as our shared values like respect for the rule of law, freedom, and self-determination," Trudeau said in a statement.

"I look forward to welcoming President Zelenskiy to Canada," the Canadian prime minister said.

In June, Trudeau made an unannounced trip to war-time Kyiv, where he paid his respects at a memorial to Ukrainian soldiers killed fighting pro-Russian forces since 2014, met Zelenskiy and addressed Ukraine's parliament.

NATO member Canada, which has one of the world's largest Ukrainian diasporas, has supplied military and financial assistance to Kyiv since Russia invaded in February 2022. It has also joined other Western allies in imposing sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

"Since the start of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, Canada has welcomed more than 175,000 Ukrainians," Trudeau's office said on Thursday.

Zelenskiy's U.S. and Canada visits come as Ukraine's summer counteroffensive has hit stubborn Russian defenses, and colder, wetter weather will soon make many rural roads impassable for heavy vehicles.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie Adler)

Zelensky arrives in Ottawa, greeted by PM Trudeau
Olena Goncharova
Thu, September 21, 2023

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to Ottawa late on Sept. 21 for his first official visit to Canada since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

While in Ottawa, Zelensky will deliver an address to Canadian Parliament. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Zelensky will then travel to Toronto, where they will meet with Canadian business leaders "to strengthen private sector investment in Ukraine’s future," according to a press release published by the office of the Canadian Prime Minister on Sept. 21.

Zelensky and Trudeau are also expected to sign an agreement to continue strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

On Sept. 17, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair announced that Canada will provide $33 million Canadian dollars ($24.4 million) to a U.K.-led partnership delivering much-needed air defense equipment to Ukraine.

In June, a partnership was formed by multiple nations, including Denmark, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S., with the aim of assisting Ukraine in countering Russian missile and drone threats. According to a press release, this initiative is supplying Ukraine with a substantial quantity of short- and medium-range air defense missiles and associated systems.

Read also: Canada pledges nearly $25 million to bolster Ukraine’s air defense

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