Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday, the culmination of a years-long struggle to get a White House visit locked up that -- at one point -- saw him at the center of US politics,
CNN reports.
The much-anticipated gathering could have high-stakes implications for Zelensky, who has vied for American support since he took over in 2019. His ascension to office led to a congratulatory call from then-President Donald Trump, who pushed Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter. The call was at the heart of Trump's first impeachment by the House before the Senate acquitted the then-President, finding him not guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Now, some two years after both Zelensky and Biden were ensnared in that historic first impeachment, the Eastern European leader has an opportunity to set a new tone with a new administration in person. But the shadow of the impeachment inquiry is still sure to loom large over the visit.
Questions about the US' long-term foreign policy approach are sure to be in the air as well.
Trump challenged America's long-standing diplomatic role in the world, building a nationalist platform he assured would put "America first" and often siding with Russia despite its escalating aggressions with Ukraine in their ongoing dispute over Crimea. And though Biden has asserted that American diplomacy is back, even allies are wondering how long it'll last -- especially in the wake of the US' withdrawal from Afghanistan.
