By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden, with flowers in hand, and first lady Jill Biden welcomed the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, to the White House on Tuesday for a visit ahead of her address to Congress on Wednesday.
Zelenska, the wife of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, embraced Jill Biden and received the flowers from the president, who met her vehicle outside.
Afterwards, the two women and delegations from both countries sat down for a meeting in the White House Blue Room.
Jill Biden had made a surprise visit to Ukraine, which Russia invaded earlier this year, in May, visiting her counterpart and a school that was sheltering displaced Ukrainians.
Russia calls its action in Ukraine a “special military operation” to ensure its own security. Zelenskiy has led his country in standing up to Moscow.
“When I came back, one of the things that I said was, you cannot go into a war zone and come back and not feel the sorrow and the pain of the people,” Jill Biden said at the beginning of their meeting.
She said she had spoken to her team about helping address mental health issues for mothers and children who have suffered atrocities.
Zelenska is scheduled to address the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, according to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
