President Zelensky Visits The United States, Russia: Not Good For Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was nothing good to come from the journey of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington on Wednesday, saying Russia did not see an opportunity to hold peace talks with Kyiv.

In a phone call with journalists he said Western arms supplies continuing to Ukraine would lead to deepening the conflict, something that could backfire for Kyiv, Peskov warned.

"The supply of weapons continues and the range of weapons supplied is widespread. All of this, of course, leads to a worsening of the conflict. This is not a good sign for Ukraine," Peskov said.

As previously reported, President Zelensky is scheduled to meet US President Joe Biden and Congressional leaders on Wednesday, his first overseas trip since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to his country on February 24.

Asked if Moscow hoped something positive could come from President Zelensky's journey, Peskov replied: "No".

On my way to the US to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities of 🇺🇦. In particular, @POTUS and I will discuss cooperation between 🇺🇦 and 🇺🇸. I will also have a speech at the Congress and a number of bilateral meetings.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 21, 2022

President Zelensky said the visit was aimed at strengthening Ukraine's "resilientness and defense capabilities", amid repeated Russian attacks on the supply of energy and water in the midst of winter.

"On the way to the United States to strengthen Ukraine's resilience and defense capabilities," President Zelensky wrote on his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, President Biden will announce the latest military aid of nearly $2 billion, including Patriot missile batteries to help him defend himself from a Russian missile sequence, a senior US official said.