Kuleba and Yermak speak after planning trip to Washington

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Head of the Presidential
Office Andriy Yermak spoke about their trip to Washington to prepare for President Zelensky’s Aug. 30 visit.

Kuleba noted that “this is the first U.S. president “who
understands what Ukraine is”, interfax.com.ua reported on Aug. 6. In an
interview on Ukrayina 24 TV, Kuleba stated that the meeting with Biden would
cover politics, security, and the economy, and that he and Yerrmak had “very
substantive conversations” with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National
Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to pin down the presidents’ agreements.

Yermak pointed out that “everyone is determined to
make this a very productive and very fundamental visit.” Moreover, he felt that
there was no “toxicity” connected to Ukraine during the visit.

James Hydzik: Given the
expected rise in regional tensions that will accompany Russia’s Zapad-2021
military exercises along Ukraine’s borders in September, carefully scripting
this visit is more important for Ukraine than ever. However, the Biden
administration is facing its own Ukraine-policy opposition after relenting to
German pressure to not impede the completion of the Nord Stream II pipeline.

Republicans reverting to their Cold War era
positions will take the opportunity during the visit to play up Biden’s
softness in dealing with the Kremlin and its interests. Side-stepping American
domestic politics would be as easy as thanking Republican senators for their
part in the Senate’s unflinching position regarding Ukraine throughout the
years. If the script will be that thought-out, though, remains to be seen.