🇺🇸 From Kyiv to Congress

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From Kyiv to Congress

Yesterday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington, DC and addressed a joint session of Congress. He also met with President Joe Biden, as Ukraine’s military remains locked in conflict with Russia.

Reporting from the Right: Zelenskyy visit is a message to Putin that US will back Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’: White House (Fox News)

Reporting from the Left: Zelenskyy's Washington trip marks a victory in the PR war with Putin (CNN)

From The Flag: One week ago, we covered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s canceled year-end press conference. Here’s more from both sides following Zelenskyy’s visit.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Zelenskyy Is Doing Everything He Can, Needs More Help From US

• Zelenskyy is seeking long-range missiles and drones from the US but officials are hesitant, given that risks provoking Putin.

• Ukraine’s toughness and resilience is embodied in Zelenskyy, who has soared in popularity compared to one year ago.

• Zelenskyy’s biggest test is yet to come, especially if Ukraine intends to take back the Crimean peninsula from Russia.

“What Zelenskyy wants — but is unlikely to get — from Biden” Erin Banco, Jonathan Lemire, Paul McLeary, POLITICO: “While the Biden administration has vowed to continue supporting Kyiv in its efforts to combat Russian forces inside Ukraine, US officials have resisted supplying any resources that would allow Ukrainians to launch long-range missiles at Russian positions inside Russia — weapons Ukrainians say are critical for allowing them to gain back lost territory and force Russia on the defensive. During the meeting with Biden and his national security team, the Ukrainian delegation is expected to make another round of pleas for long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, and Gray Eagle and Reaper drones… But US officials aren’t ready to budge. The Biden White House has flatly rejected sending the ATACMS. … Sending long-range missiles to Kyiv could risk provoking Putin using potentially even more lethal weapons inside Ukraine.”

“Ukraine’s resilience sets a global standard” Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post: “A year ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a somewhat unpopular leader in Kyiv, viewed by his critics as a lightweight jokester. Now, in the wake of Russia’s February invasion, the wartime president is a global icon, a Ukrainian national hero… and, yes, the least surprising figure in recent memory to receive the designation of Time’s Person of the Year. The international admiration for Zelenskyy is ultimately about much more than the man himself. His stoicism and courage seems to project the spirit of a nation that has withstood the Russian onslaught for close to 10 months at hideous cost in lives and resources. It’s now hunkering down for a possibly punishing winter, as Russia has carried out targeted strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure. … even then, many Ukrainians are not letting their Kremlin-inflicted woes darken their mood.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Where Zelenskyy goes from here Michael Bociurkiw, CNN Opinion

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Zelenskyy’s Visit Could Backfire, Plus Religious Freedom Concerns

• Zelenskyy should not have visited the US because it gives fuel to his detractors who say he’s mostly interested in media attention.

• While Putin has most definitely committed war crimes, Zelenskyy’s treatment of the Russian Orthodox Church is also wrong.

• "As far as we know, no one's ever addressed the United States Congress in a sweatshirt before, but they love him much more than they love you."

“Zelensky Should Not Visit the US” Jack Butler, National Review: “A physical appearance in this country, as the war is ongoing and as military-age males in Ukraine are generally forbidden from leaving Ukraine, is different in kind from videoconferencing in to awards ceremonies and even to Congress itself, as Zelenskyy has done in the past. A former comedian and television star, he understands the power of such things well. He also has discerned where the loci of elite opinion in the West are, and has shown a canny ability to appeal to them in a way that can sometimes seem a bit cloying… Zelenskyy’s leaving his country would not detract from the reality of his commitment to it, or of his wartime feats. But optically, it (risks) validating criticisms that his detractors, in this country and abroad, have made from the start of the conflict.”

“Zelenskyy: Defender of Democracy or Opponent of Religious Freedom?” Jonathan S. Tobin, Newsweek Op-ed: “Ukraine is a deeply corrupt country with wealthy oligarchs playing the same role there as they do in Putin's Russia. Using the war as an excuse, Zelenskyy has banned his political opposition and shut down all media not controlled by his regime. The latest example of his authoritarian style is even more egregious. Zelenskyy's attempt to bar Orthodox churches that answer to the Russian Orthodox Church ought to dispel any notion that Americans are supporting Western values of freedom in this war. … None of this lessens Putin's criminality. But if President Biden and his mainstream media cheering section are determined to keep asking Americans to pay for an endless and unwinnable war that is causing enormous suffering rather than pushing to end it, they should at least be honest about the man who is getting all this money.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Zelenskyy's visit represented 'bipartisan masochism' Tucker Carlson, Fox News

FLAG THIS

Eight in 10 Aware of Zelenskyy, Americans Split

Opinion polling shows Volodymyr Zelenskyy is exceptionally well known, with 78% of respondents saying they know who he is.

His popularity rating (47%) is also the highest among YouGov’s tracking of world leaders, ahead of current Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (37%) and former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel (35%).

Zooming out, according to a December 14 Quinnipiac Poll, Americans are split on President Biden's handling of the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Forty-five percent approve while 46% disapprove.

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On December 22, 1968, Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower, both progeny of United States presidents, tied the knot in New York City. Julie Nixon was the daughter of Richard M. Nixon, who was president-elect at the time of the wedding. Her groom was the grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Above, Julie and David are pictured in 1971.

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