Zelensky visited Argentina to gain support from developing countries, then heads to Biden

​(Patria) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday attended the swearing-in of new Argentine President Javier Milei, AP reported.

This was the Ukrainian leader's first official trip to Latin America, as Kyiv continues to seek support in its fight against Russian invading forces.

During Zelensky's visit to Buenos Aires, his office and the White House announced that he would travel to Washington on Tuesday to meet with President Joe Biden.

Biden has requested a $110 billion aid package from Congress for Ukraine and Israel,
along with other national security priorities. But the request has stalled in debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security.

The visit to Washington would focus on "ensuring the unity of the U.S., Europe and the world" in support of Ukraine in the war against Russia, Zelensky's office said.

In Argentina, Milei welcomed Zelensky at the presidential palace after his inauguration. The two embraced for a long time, exchanged words, and then Milei, who has said he intends to convert to Judaism, presented his Ukrainian counterpart with a menorah.

A political outsider who railed against what he called the entrenched corruption of officials in Argentina and promised to eradicate the political establishment, Milei ran on a pro-Western foreign policy platform, repeatedly expressing distrust of Moscow and Beijing.

Zelensky telephoned Milei shortly after the Argentine's election victory last month, thanking him for his "clear support for Ukraine." Milei's office said at the time that he had offered to host a summit between Ukraine and Latin American countries, which would be a potential boon for Kyiv's months-long efforts to strengthen its ties with Global South nations.

Zelensky and other senior Ukrainian officials have repeatedly framed Ukraine's war against Russia as a resistance to colonial aggression, hoping to gain the support of Asian, African and
Latin American nations that have struggled to break free from foreign domination in the past, sometimes turning to Moscow for support against Western powers.

Zelensky used his trip to Argentina to meet with leaders of several developing countries. En route to Buenos Aires, he met with the prime minister of the West African nation of Cape Verde. While in Argentina, Zelensky met separately with the presidents of Paraguay, Ecuador and Uruguay, his office said.