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What did Zelenskyy's Washington trip change by 26 December 2022?
Summary
A look back at the Ukrainian president's first trip abroad since the invasion, and the Donetsk shelling reported the same day.
What was the picture on 26 December 2022, five days after Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew to the United States? The trip, on 21 December 2022, was the Ukrainian president's first official journey abroad since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the background to the visit, it lasted about 10 hours. Zelenskyy met the US president, Joe Biden, held a joint press conference 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.
Shelling in Donetsk
On the same day, 21 December 2022, shelling hit a hotel and a restaurant in Donetsk. Two people were killed and five others injured. Among the injured, as reported at the time, were Dmitry Rogozin, a former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and head of Roscosmos, and Vitaliy Khotsenko, Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Taken together, the two events marked a day when Ukraine's leader was in Washington while the war continued to produce casualties in Donetsk, including among figures linked to Russia and its administration there.
