Ukraine's Foreign Ministry explains why Commander-in-Chief was not present at meeting with Biden

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was not part of the Ukrainian delegation that met the US President in Kyiv, because the US delegation did not include General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Source: Andrii Melnyk, Deputy Foreign Minister, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "If Mr Milley was here together with President Biden, then it [the presence of Zaluzhnyi – ed.] would probably be obvious. Because, usually, these delegations are formed taking into account who is coming. This is such a classic of diplomacy and protocol. Therefore, I would not make up things that did not really happen. Trust me, there are no pitfalls here. It was a very private format."

Background:

• US President Joseph Biden arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit on Monday, 20 February, and announced a new package of military aid from the United States and additional sanctions against Russia for its aggression.
• Due to such a visit, there was a discussion on social media about why Zaluzhnyi was not among the members of the Ukrainian delegation that met the American president. He himself did not comment on it.

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