President Biden, Jill Biden welcome Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska to the White House
First Lady Jill Biden welcomed Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska to the White House Tuesday for their second meeting in person in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine.
the president Biden with an arrangement of flowers and a lady to welcome Zelenska on Tuesday afternoon. The bouquet that Biden presented to Zelenska was composed of pink sunflowers in yellow, blue hydrangeas as well as white orchids.
First lady went to Ukraine during Mother’s Day in May in an unusual solo trip getting together Biden and Zelenska in a tiny classroom. In the afternoon, Biden and Zelenska, with a second gentleman Doug Emhoff, discussed their previous visit.
In her reflections on the trip the day before, Biden said that when she returned to the U.S., one of the things she came to was that “you can’t enter the middle of war and return and not feel the pain and the suffering of people.”
OLENA ZELENSKA, UKRAINE’S FIRST LADY, SET TO ADDRESS US CONGRESS AFTER MEETING WITH BLINKEN
The first lady Jill Biden and President Biden meet the first Mrs. Olena Zelenska while Zelenska is escorted to the South Lawn of the White House on July 19, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“And I was introduced to a lot of refugees, mothers as well as the youngsters,” Biden said. “And we spent time in their company.”
Biden spoke of “mental health concerns” for parents and children which she has been talking with her team since she came back in the U.S. from Ukraine.
First Lady Olena Zelenska in her home at the White House with President Biden and the first Lady Jill Biden, July 19 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“I think you’ve got my letter on what we’re doing to aid in mental health issues for mothers and children who have been through these atrocities and tragedy and I’ve been working on it,”” Biden said. “The team is working on the issue.”
During her trip on her trip to U.S., Zelenska met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who underscored the U.S. “commitment to support Ukraine’s victory” According to State Department spokesman Ned Price.
“He confirmed his belief that”the United States will continue to offer assistance to help Ukraine face the massive problems it faces, which includes support for the First Lady’s mental health initiative to help those suffering from the conflict,” Price added.
“The secretary repeated it was”the United States remains dedicated to helping people in Ukraine get back to their homes and rebuild after the devastation caused by Russian President Putin’s inhumane military,” he added.
Ukrainian ambassador in Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova 2nd from left and Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine left, for an interview with the first lady Jill Biden at the White House on Tuesday, July 19 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
First Lady Jill BIDDEN MAKES SURPRISING A VISIT TO the UKRAINE WAR-TORN
Zelenska is scheduled to meet with lawmakers on Wednesday. is scheduled to meet with congressmen and will make a speech before Congress.
Jill Biden offers flowers to Ukraine first lady Olena Zelenska at School 6 which is a school for public use which has taken in exiled students from Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on May 8th 2022. (Susan Walsh/Pool/ AFP)
President Biden has yet to travel to Ukraine. Numerous high-profile figures – like Blinken, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – have now visited Kyiv and walked the streets to show their solidarity with Ukraine.
In May, the president announced an aid package of $40 billion for Ukraine. The $40 billion figure was plus $800m of military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery as well as ammunition, as Ukraine continues to to defend itself from Russia’s multi-front conflict. This aid was added to an authorization for $800 million for ammunition, weapons and other security aid in the beginning of April.
The $1.6 billion the president approved of Ukraine was on top of the $1 billion that the Biden administration already gave the Ukraine on March.
