How Ukraine views Zelenskyy’s visit

The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Dec 21, 2022 View in browser   By Lauren Egan, Eli Stokols and Alex Thompson Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice.   Send tips | Subscribe here| Email Alex | Email Eli | Email Lauren PROGRAMMING NOTE: We'll be off next week for the holidays but back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 3. We hope absence makes the heart grow fonder. Ukranians awoke Wednesday morning just as shocked as Americans to learn their president, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, was leaving the country for the first time since the Russian invasion to visit Washington and meet with President JOE BIDEN. Zelenskyy made the trek with a primary audience in mind: He would address lawmakers in the U.S. Congress in addition to Biden. But there was a secondary audience at play, too — a population back home that recognizes the country's future is tied to the diplomatic lines supporting its military successes. "This visit is about getting help to stop a genocide. It will get media coverage and when the media writes about us, it helps," MAKSYM ZALEVSKYI, a 45-year-old humanitarian worker in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, told West Wing Playbook. Zelenskyy's visit to the U.S. offered a sense of hope to Zalevskyi and other Ukrainians living amid rolling electrical and internet blackouts and constant air raid sirens. It meant potentially more assistance to help bolster the country's war efforts and buoy the faltering economy through what is expected to be a grueling winter. "Politics in America depends on Americans, and if this visit helps Americans better understand our situation in Ukraine, then I think it could help Biden be able to give us more," Zalevskyi said. "Everyone here knows about the visit, we're paying attention. It's an important moment that's all about hope — hope for protection." Other Ukrainians who spoke with West Wing Playbook said they wanted Zelenskyy's visit to help refocus American media and political attention on the devastating impact of the war, and push Congress — particularly those Republicans who have soured on providing assistance — to recommit their support. " Everybody in Ukraine understands that without American support, this would be much harder and the situation on the front would be much worse. But everybody wants more — more aviation, more technical support, more rockets that can reach even Russian territory," said SERGII KOSTEZH, a journalist based in Kyiv. Kostezh expressed hope that Zelenskyy's meetings in D.C. would "provide something systematic, meaning a stronger weapons support system. We have to know what we will get going into March, April, May, June, July, so that we can plan new operations on the frontline." He added that "our ministry of defense has to be able to plan not for a few days, but for the next month." But others in the war-torn country said the outcome they wanted from the Zelenskyy trip was something larger than weapons acquisitions. MARIIA VOVK, 24, of Kharkiv, said she wanted Americans to see the war in Ukraine as an emblem for the future of democratic institutions. "I hope people keep in mind during this visit that Ukraine is a shield for the whole west. Do not forget that we're fighting for freedom not just for us, but for everyone. The politicians should recognize that," she said. "There are more and more powerful air strikes, we're worried that Belarus is going to become an active enemy, and people are on edge," said Vovk, who spoke to West Wing Playbook from Poland, where she's been working remotely for a marketing company. "We don't know what Zelenskyy's visit will result in, but it's a good sign. It will cheer people up, boost spirits, give us hope — and we need that right now." During their press conference together this afternoon, Biden and Zelenskyy put on a stern but optimistic face, decrying Russia's invasion, playing up the solidarity of NATO and stressing that the aid pipeline would not dry up. But the visit, nevertheless, still serves as a somber reminder for Ukrainians of their country's dependence on the shifting winds of American politics. "People here understand the politics in the U.S.. We're reading the news and we're worried that politics towards Ukraine will change," said ALINA SUGONIAKO, 34, of Kyiv. "We all know that prices are high in the U.S. and we understand, but we're worrying about our people on the frontlines and in occupied territories." Despite all the recent advancements by the Ukrainian military, Sugoniako provided a stark reminder: "I don't like to say it outloud, but Ukraine can fall. And America and the world need to know that we would not be the last one." MESSAGE US — Are you accompanying President Zelenskyy on his trip to D.C.? We want to hear from you. And we'll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.   A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We're kicking off with a series exploring darknet market places, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY.     POTUS PUZZLER This one is from Allie. Which president didn't allow Christmas trees in the White House because he was a conservationist? (Answer at the bottom.) The Oval UPON ARRIVAL: The Biden administration on Wednesday announced an additional $1.85 billion in Ukraine assistance ahead of Zelenskyy's White House visit. The package includes the first-ever transfer of a Patriot missile defense system, Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits and additional ammunition, mortars and armored vehicles. Our LARA SELIGMAN has more details. GOOGLE IT: Biden ended up tied with former President DONALD TRUMP…. in garnering the most attention in 2022, according to an assessment of Google searches and cable news references by WaPo's PHILIP BUMP. See the full analysis here.  WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This WaPo opinion column by PAUL WALDMAN highlighting Biden's major legislative wins: "With the passage of four large spending bills over his first two years — the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Chips and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — Biden has inaugurated something of an economic policy revolution. Their near 2,000 pages of programs and initiatives contain a profound shift in how the federal government intervenes in the economy. We now have the closest thing the U.S. has had to a real industrial policy in decades." WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by NYT's EMILY BAUMGAERTNER about how Americans 65 years old and older aren't getting their Covid-19 booster shots: "As the pandemic barrels into its third winter, and Covid hospitalizations and deaths climb once again, medical experts worry that there is no effective plan to update the immunizations of the most vulnerable Americans. Two years ago, when Covid shots were first introduced, the federal government sent teams into thousands of nursing homes and community centers to vaccinate seniors, curbing the devastation of the virus. "But so far this fall, the White House has only offered grants to community organizations to get shots into the arms of older people, without the clear messaging strategy or logistical support that they need most, many caregivers and nursing home executives said in interviews." A TRIP TO A DIFFERENT FRONTLINE: Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will visit with patients and families Friday at the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., according to the White House. The annual visit comes as children's hospitals across the country are struggling to handle the influx of sick infants. THE BUREAUCRATS DEPT. OF FUN ASSIGNMENTS: LYNNE TRACY, Biden's nominee to serve as the ambassador to Russia, was confirmed Wednesday by the Senate with a 93-2 vote. Tracy, who has spent decades in foreign service, previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Armenia under President DONALD TRUMP. AND ANOTHER ONE GONE: National cyber director CHRIS INGLIS is expected to step down from his role in the next few months, CNN's SEAN LYNGAAS reports. He's the first ever to hold the role, created to help bolster the administration's response to hacks, and started the position in July 2021. Agenda Setting HE DID NOT ASK FOR THAT: Though the president is expected to sign the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense spending and policy bill, he's not going to like it, our CONNOR O'BRIEN reports. One U.S. official said the bill is "clearly" seen as a swipe at Biden's plans, as it "prescribes $45 billion more for national defense spending than the administration proposed, reverses efforts to kill a new nuclear missile and scrambles Pentagon efforts to retire a number of ships and aircraft to save money." SOLAR POWER BORDER: Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary MARCEL EBRARD on Tuesday said the nation plans to ask the Biden administration for $48 billion for solar projects at the southwestern border during the president's visit to Mexico City in January, AP reports. What We're Reading First on CNN: Commerce Department launches grant program to help female and minority entrepreneurs (CNN's Jeremy Diamond) Hunter Biden hires attorney Abbe Lowell to beef up legal team (NBC News' Sarah Fitzpatrick) Biden administration wants Supreme Court to end Title 42 — just not yet (POLITICO's Myah Ward and Josh Gerstein) The Oppo Book GINA ORTIZ JONES, the deputy secretary of the Air Force, has a superfan — her mother, of course! "Mom wants to see every news clip, every article," Ortiz Jones told People magazine in May. "She got on me the other day because I didn't send her the C-SPAN article when we rolled out the budget." "So she's very proud, but I'm frankly very thankful because, had it not been for her sacrifice and her example, none of this would've been possible," she added. Mother knows best!   POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023.     POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER President THEODORE ROOSEVELT.  But according to the White House Historical Association, Roosevelt's children "surprised the president by hiding a tree in a sewing room closet" in December 1903. A CALL OUT — Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it. Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.   Follow us on Twitter Alex Thompson @AlexThomp Eli Stokols @EliStokols Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Allie Bice @alliebice   Follow us

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