The Washington Post suggests that the First Lady of Ukraine declined an invitation to Joe Biden's speech because she was supposed to be seated next to Yulia Navalnaya
Washington, United States (Svidomi) — The Washington Post is reporting that Olena Zelenska declined an invitation to join US President Joe Biden's speech at the White House because they wanted to sit next to the wife of slain Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
According to The Washington Post, the first lady of Ukraine was supposed to sit next to US First Lady Jill Biden and Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the deceased Alexei Navalny, who is believed to be a Russian oppositionist. It was allegedly intended to show "the image of women, each of whom is a symbol of resistance to Russian President Putin" at a joint session of Congress.
WP's sources familiar with the discussions in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, claim that Navalnaya's potential presence at the event caused discomfort for Ukrainians.
"While in the West, we have always thought of him as someone who fought bravely and courageously against Putin, in Ukraine, Navalny is seen as in line with a mind-set of Russian nationalism and imperialism," said Alina Polyakova, president of the Centre for European Policy Analysis, a Washington think tank.
A White House spokesperson told WP that Zelenska's decision to cancel was likely due to "schedule conflicts". The official also added that the seating arrangement is "a detail finalised near the end of the process".
Olena Zelenska's office confirmed that the embassy in Washington had received the invitation.
"However, due to scheduled events, including a planned visit to Kyiv with children from an orphanage, the First Lady, unfortunately, won’t be able to participate in the event," the statement said.
Yulia Navalnaya will also not be present during Biden's address to Congress. Her secretary says that the woman needs time "to recover from the death of her husband".
Svidomi has previously explained why, despite exposing corruption in his own country, Alexei Navalny had imperialistic views on Russia's geographical neighbours, including Ukraine, and the peoples living within the Russian Federation.
