Jill Biden Welcomes Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska to the White House

The first lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, met with the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, at the White House on Tuesday.

Upon her arrival in the afternoon, Zelenska, 44, received a warm welcome from Dr. Biden, 71, and her husband, President Joe Biden, who handed a bouquet of flowers to their special guest. Biden and Zelenska embraced each other before the group posed for a photo and walked inside together.

The private meeting between the first ladies took place during Zelenska's visit to Washington, D.C. to "highlight the human cost of Russia's aggression against Ukraine," according to the White House.

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The two spoke about "the United States' continued support for the government of Ukraine and its people as they defend their democracy and cope with the significant human impacts of Russia's war, which will be felt for years to come."

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Following the private gathering, Zelenska attended an expanded bilateral meeting hosted by the U.S. first lady with other officials, including second gentleman Doug Emhoff, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Isobel Coleman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Toria Nuland and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

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AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

The bilateral meeting discussed "how the United States can continue to alleviate suffering through support and humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people, and the need to hold accountable those responsible for war crimes and other atrocities."

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Zelenska and Biden first met in person during her surprise visit to Ukraine in May to show support for the country during its ongoing war with Russia. They met on Mother's Day in Uzhhorod, a small city in western Ukraine near the Slovakian border, at a school housing individuals affected by the war.

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When welcoming Zelenska at the White House, Biden reflected on her visit to Ukraine in her speech.

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"One of the things that I said when I came back was you cannot go into a war and come back and not feel the sorrow and pain," she told reporters on Tuesday.

Zelenska's visit to the U.S. comes after her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced the dismissal of two top officials over the weekend, claiming that many in their departments are suspected of treason.

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and Head of State Security Service Ivan Bakanov — a longtime friend of Zelenskyy — are the leaders who were suspended on Sunday.

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"Today I made a decision to remove the Prosecutor General from office and to dismiss the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine," Zelenskyy, 44, addressed their removal in a video.

He also added Ukraine had launched investigations against employees from the two departments over "treason and collaboration activities," according to The New York Times.

The publication reported Zelenskyy explained the proceedings have posed "very serious questions to the relevant leadership" and that everyone who had "worked in the interests of the Russian Federation will also be held accountable."