Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska has declined US First Lady Jill Biden’s invitation to attend Thursday’s (March 7) State of the Union address. Another invitee, Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was recently killed in an Arctic prison, has also decided to forego one of Washington’s most dignified events.
A plan spoiled
As per a Washington Post report citing officials familiar with the event’s planning, the intent was to seat the two women on either side of Jill Biden.
Reportedly, this arrangement would have symbolised resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin and provided a powerful backdrop to President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress.
Why did they cancel?
The potential presence of Navalnaya is believed to have been a cause of discomfort to the Ukrainians. This is because Navalny’s past statements regarding Crimea being part of Russia have clouded his legacy in Ukraine.
Despite Navalny later supporting Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders, many Ukrainians continue to view the Kremlin critic as out of step with their goals.
A White House official cited “schedule conflicts” as the reason for Zelenska’s decision and said that the seating arrangement is typically finalised near the end of the planning process.
Navalnaya also declined the invitation, citing fatigue following her husband’s recent death.
Her spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said, “I think everyone forgets the circumstances against which the events unfolded.”
“Yulia’s husband died two weeks ago. She’s been travelling all this time. Today is the first day she’s been home at all. Like any human being, she needs time to recover, and so while she very much appreciates the invitation, she needs to recover at least a little now,” she added.
This year, guests may include the parents of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia, the first person born via in vitro fertilisation in the United States, and families of hostages in the Gaza Strip.
As of now, there is only confirmation of one guest, Kate Cox, a Dallas-area woman who was forced to seek an abortion outside of Texas after a near-total ban in the state. The abortion was made necessary by a fetal genetic condition.
Biden and Ukraine
Ukraine is currently lobbying House Republicans to support President Joe Biden’s request for $60 billion in aid.
In his address, Biden is expected to urge House Republicans to pass the Ukraine funding quickly.
The government of President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly been seeking to avoid being seen as too closely aligned with Biden to prevent further politicisation of the war effort.
As per the report, this could also be because of the possibility that Republican Donald Trump may replace him in the White House after the November elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
