WP claims Zelenska declined White House's invitation because of Navalnaya, President's Office denies
Ukrainska PravdaMar 06
Ukraine's First Lady Declines Invitation to State of the Union Address
Image copyright: Drew Angerer/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Ukrainian first Lady Olena Zelenska has declined an invitation from the White House to attend this year's State of the Union address.
"Due to events added to the schedule earlier, including a visit to Kyiv by orphans, unfortunately, the first lady will not be able to attend," a statement from the Ukrainian president's office said.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite underlying suggestions in the Washington Post's reporting, first lady Olena Zelenska will not be attending the State of the Union address because of scheduling conflicts, including a pre-planned visit to an orphanage in Kyiv. Solidarity and diplomacy between Ukraine and America is as strong as ever.
Establishment-critical narrative
Sources with knowledge of the planning said the declined invitation came because Zelenska didn't want to be seated near Yulia Navalnaya. Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also didn't want to appear too close to US Pres. Biden at a time when he's dependant on Republicans to approve further aid. This awkward public mishap underlines ongoing pressures in the relationship between Ukraine and the US.
Nerd narrative
There's a 70% chance that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be re-elected president in the next Ukrainian elections, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
