Patrick Semansky/Associated Press
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden at the White House Wednesday.
- Zelenskyy gave Biden a medal as the request of the “brave” military captain who earned it.
- “Undeserved but much appreciated,” Biden said, asking for the soldier’s name to contact him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented President Joe Biden with a medal at the request of the soldier it was awarded to.
Biden welcomed the Ukrainian president to the White House on Wednesday. During a meeting in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy said a Ukrainian soldier, who he described as a “real hero, a real captain,” asked him to pass along the award.
Zelenskyy said the soldier is the captain of the HIMARS battery, a unit that uses an advanced long-range weapons system from the US.
“He’s very brave, and he said, ‘Give it to a very brave president,”‘ Zelensky said, adding that the award was a “Cross for Military Merit” as he handed over a box that held the medal.
“Undeserved but much appreciated,” Biden said. He also asked for the soldier’s name so he could contact him and give him a “command coin.”
—ABC News (@ABC) December 21, 2022
The trip to the US marked Zelenskyy’s first departure from Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. In addition to meeting with Biden, the Ukrainian president was expected to meet with a number of senior US officials on the trip, and address a joint session of the US Congress on Thursday.
During the White House visit on Wednesday, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Biden for the support of the US during the war, and came with a list of wishes for additional military aid.
Biden announced $1.85 billion in additional military aid for Kyiv, which would include the first transfer of a Patriot missile defense system, the main air defense system of the US military.
