Elena Zelenskaya refused to attend Biden’s speech in Congress: they wanted to seat her next to Navalny’s widow – WP

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska has declined to attend President Joe Biden’s address to Congress this Thursday, to which she was invited by the White House.

This is reported by The Washington Post.

According to the publication, the reason is that Zelenska was planned to be seated next to Alexei Navalny’s widow, Yulia.

“According to officials familiar with the plan, the goal was to seat First Lady Jill Biden next to Zelenska and Yulia Navalnaya. The image of both women, each a symbol of resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin, would provide a powerful backdrop for President Biden’s speech,” the publication reports.

However, Navalnaya’s presence “caused discomfort among Ukrainians” due to her husband’s statements about the “Russian” status of Crimea, sources in Kyiv told the newspaper.

A White House representative stated that Zelenska’s decision was likely due to “scheduling conflicts.” Additionally, according to The Washington Post, Navalnaya also declined to attend Biden’s speech, citing fatigue.

The publication mentions another possible reason for Zelenska’s refusal – the desire not to spoil relations with Republicans who are blocking aid to Ukraine.

“Zelenska’s presence at the president’s speech could be seen as ‘too close a connection with Biden,'” the article says. “Ukraine does not want to offend Republicans, who could control the White House next year depending on the results of the November elections.”