The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, rejected the White House's invitation to take part in US President Biden's address to Congress because the White House wanted to seat her next to the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Zelenska rejects a US invitation because of Navalny's widow
The Washington Post reports that the White House planned to sit Olena Zelenska next to Jill Biden and Yulia Navalnaya. It is noted that "the presence of both women, each of whom is a symbol of resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin, would be a powerful backdrop for President Biden's speech at a joint session of Congress."
According to sources, Navalnaya's potential presence caused discomfort in Kyiv. Although some Ukrainians consider her late husband the leader of the fight against Putin's regime, Navalny's reputation is overshadowed by his scandalous statements about Russian-occupied Crimea.
A White House official said Zelenska's decision was likely due to "scheduling conflicts." The President's Office didn't respond to a comment.
The official added that the seating arrangement will be agreed upon closer to the event. By the way, Navalnaya also refused to attend Biden's speech due to fatigue.
Julia was indeed invited, but I think that everyone forgets the circumstances against which the events unfolded. Julia's husband died two weeks ago. She needs to recover at least a little now, - said Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh.
One American official said that the White House probably did not inform Kyiv that Navalnaya had decided not to participate.
What is known about Navalny's death
On Feb. 16, the Russian colony where Alexei Navalny was stationed announced his death. They claim that after the walk, he allegedly felt bad and fainted.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that Navalny was "obviously killed by Putin." US President Joe Biden also blamed the death of Navalny on the Russian president.
After that, the authorities, for a long time, refused to hand over the body of Alexei to his mother, demanding that she agree to a secret funeral. In case of refusal, the authorities threatened to bury him simply on the territory of the colony.
In the end, the body was given to relatives. Thousands came to pay tribute to Alexei Navalny on Mar. 1. The line to the temple, where the funeral was held, stretched for 2 km.
The mass media noted that the procession in the church took place in a hurry and ended in less than half an hour.
People were sent to the temple in small groups of two or four, but only about 300 people managed to enter in total.
People in line under the church chanted various slogans, such as: "No war", "Russia will be free" and shouted the name of the deceased politician.
