Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Joe Biden met at the White House on Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation between the countries. It was Zelensky’s first foreign trip since the Russian invasion.
Roughly 24 hours before landing in Washington D.C., the Ukrainian president visited the front-line city of Bakhmut, unannounced, and met troops and handed out awards to soldiers.
“I am in Washington today to thank the American people, the President, and the Congress for their much-needed support. And also to continue cooperation to bring our victory closer,” Zelensky wrote on Instagram.
Later, Biden took to his Twitter account with words of appreciation and support for the embattled country and its president. He also shared several videos and photos, with supporting captions, oozing with esprit de corps. It included a slow-motion video of the two walking the halls of the White House sporting brooding expressions on their faces, similar to what one may have seen in superhero films.
“In Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified war, I’m proud to say they have not stood alone. And on my watch, they never will,” Biden wrote. The video has garnered 1.4 million views at the time of this writing.
Trolls had a field day to a point that the names of both presidents and the word “unprovoked” made it to the list of the top trends on Twitter.
“No matter how you feel about the war… This video is the cringiest sheeet I have ever seen,” a Twitter user wrote. “What is this movie called?” quipped another.
“Two clowns walking in slow motion is really impressive,” one user commented. Another Twitter user called the video “a farce” and wondered “how many times did you practice that walk??”
My God, how many times did you practice that walk??
Look at the formation of your hands during the entire slow-mo.
This entire thing is a farce.
— Roux 🇺🇸 🦅 ⭐️ (@roux8814) December 22, 2022
“Why does this feel like something my 14-year-old son would feel is cool, but super embarrassing for most people to put out?” another tweet read.
Why does this feel like something my 14 year old son would feel is cool, but super embarrassing for most people to put out?
— Angie G (@MomAngtrades) December 22, 2022
Ahead of the meeting, the Biden administration had announced $1.85 billion in new aid for Ukraine. This includes the Patriot air defense system requested by Kyiv to help respond to Russia’s attack on power networks.
“Your money is not charity,” Zelensky said, as he made an impassioned plea for aid during his speech to Congress on Wednesday night. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
