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What Zelenskyy's Washington trip signalled on 21 December 2022
Summary
A look back at the Ukrainian president's first trip abroad since the full-scale invasion, and at shelling in Donetsk on the same day.
What did it mean for Ukraine's president to leave the country for the first time since the invasion began? On 21 December 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States, on his first official trip abroad since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A short, dense visit
The visit to Washington, D.C. lasted about ten hours. In that time Zelenskyy met Joe Biden, the president of the United States, held a joint press conference with him, and addressed a joint session of the United States Congress.
Ahead of the visit, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a US$1.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine. The timing placed the question of continued American military support at the centre of the trip.
Shelling in Donetsk
The same day brought news from the front line of the war. Two people were killed and five injured when a hotel and a restaurant in Donetsk were shelled, as reported at the time. Among the injured were Dmitry Rogozin, a former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and head of Roscosmos, and Vitaliy Khotsenko, Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Why the day mattered
The two events were separate, but together they showed how the war stood on 21 December 2022: Ukraine's leader was making his first journey abroad since February to secure Western backing, while fighting continued in the Russian-held city of Donetsk, with casualties among its officials and a prominent Russian figure.
