No end in sight to Ukraine war as Zelenskyy and Medvedev harden battle lines

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met US President Joe Biden at the White House earlier today, thanking all Americans on behalf of the Ukrainian people for the “tremendous support and leadership” that Washington has shown in helping Kyiv in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

“Mr. President, it is a great honor for me to be here. I wanted to arrive earlier, but I couldn’t because of the difficult situation. And since I’m here, that means we’re in control of the situation. And this is primarily thanks to your support,” Zelenskyy said during a short conversation with media representatives before the start of the negotiations.

On his first foreign trip since the start of conflict on February 24 this year, Zelenskyy was welcomed by the US President and First Lady Jill Biden on the South Lawn of the White House.

“Mr. President, it’s good to have you back. I am delighted you were able to make the trip. And it is an honor to be by your side in the united defence against the brutal war waged by Putin. It’s hard to believe, but 300 days have passed since the brutal assault on Ukrainians’ right to exist as a nation,” said the US President.

Zelenskyy also addressed the US Congress – both chambers and both parties, summarising his government’s achievements and outlining Ukraine’s main expectations for the coming months.

Meanwhile, in another interesting development, Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian President and Prime Minister who is also the current Deputy Chairman of the country’s Security Council, met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday.

Medvedev, chairman of the Russian United Russia Party, is visiting China at the invitation of the Communist Party of China.

Xi pointed out that in the past 10 years, China-Russia relations have withstood the test of international vicissitudes and have always developed in a healthy, stable and high-level manner.

“China is willing to work with Russia to continuously advance China-Russia relations in the new era, and jointly promote the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

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