Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first lady, declined an invitation from the White House to attend Thursday’s State of the Union address, dashing President Joe Biden’s dreams of seating her next to Alexi Navalvny’s widow in a show of force. against Russia.
The White House had intended to place Zelenska and Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the slain Russian opposition leader, in Jill Biden’s box on the night of the president’s prime-time address.
The plan was to use women as a powerful image against Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at a time when Biden wants Congress to approve more aid for Ukraine.
Olena Zelenska, first lady of Ukraine, with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the White House in July 2022 – Zelenska declined an invitation to the State of the Union address
But the idea that Navalnaya could be there caused unrest among Ukrainians, sources told the Washington Post.
In Ukraine, Alexei Navalny’s legacy is overshadowed by his past statements that the Crimea, which Putin annexed in 2014, belonged to Russia.
Alexei Navalny later changed his way of thinking and supported Ukraine’s borders.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that Biden invited Yulia Navalnaya when he met with her and her daughter in San Francisco last month.
Navalnaya ultimately declined the invitation, citing exhaustion.
“In fact, Yulia was invited and considered going, but I think everyone forgets the circumstances in which the events unfolded,” said Navalnaya spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh.
‘Yulia’s husband died two weeks ago. He’s been traveling all this time. Today is the first day he is home. Like any human being, he needs time to recover and, although he greatly appreciates the invitation, he needs to recover at least a little now.’
Olena Zelenska’s office cited a scheduling conflict.
“Due to scheduled events, including a planned visit to kyiv with children from an orphanage, the First Lady will unfortunately not be able to participate in the event,” her office said.
President Joe Biden hugs Yulia Navalnaya as he meets with her in San Francisco, Navalnaya ultimately declined his invitation to the State of the Union address.
Yulia Navalnaya with her husband Alexi Navalny
But Ukraine has also been caught up in the political drama in Washington.
House Republicans have yet to vote on a bipartisan security bill — passed by the Senate — that includes $60 billion in aid for the war-torn country.
Ukrainian officials are pressuring President Mike Johnson and his Republican lawmakers to pass the bill, which Donald Trump opposes.
Maybe they don’t want to offend Republicans by putting their first lady next to Jill Biden.
Ukrainian forces are running out of ammunition as they fight Russian forces. During his prime-time address, Biden is expected to urge Congress to quickly pass the relief package.
The president has been coy about what else he will address in his State of the Union address.
“You’ll hear me on Thursday,” he said when reporters asked him about his preparations.
The underlying message will be politics. Even if Biden doesn’t mention Donald Trump by name, the upcoming rematch between the two men will be a backdrop to the night.
Biden is expected to take a more aggressive stance against Trump, who has essentially secured the Republican nomination.
The president is also expected to address the war between Israel and Hamas, abortion rights, trade, immigration and China.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska
As for the first lady’s box, the most prominent spot in the House chamber, the White House has only announced one guest: Kate Cox.
The state of Texas denied Cox’s abortion request after she learned her fetus had a fatal diagnosis as a result of a rare chromosomal disorder.
Biden and Democrats are using the abortion issue to rally their base after it was a successful rallying cry for the party in the 2022 midterm elections, where its candidates fared better than expected, largely thanks to abortion rights issues on the ballot.
Kate Cox was the first pregnant adult to sue for the right to terminate her pregnancy after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Ultimately, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Cox would not have qualified to undergo an abortion under the medical exception to the state’s abortion laws.
Abortions were banned in Texas after the Supreme Court ruling in June 2022. Cox traveled out of state to obtain one. Her lawyers pointed out that Cox’s own health was at greater risk if she carried the fetus to term.
Donald Trump has took credit for the Supreme Court decision and has said it is considering a national ban on abortions every 15 weeks.