Ukraine’s first lady declines State of the Union invitation

International News Desk: According to global Times news Agency Europe, Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first lady, declined an invitation from the White House to attend Thursday’s State of the Union address, forgoing one of Washington’s most dignified events and underscoring the complicated politics facing her war-torn country, The Global Times Europe Media informs.The intent had been to seat first lady Jill Biden near Zelenska and Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died last month in an Arctic prison, according to officials familiar with the planning.The image of both women, each a symbol of resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin, would offer a powerful backdrop to President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress.

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But Navalnaya’s potential presence caused discomfort for the Ukrainians, said people familiar with Kyiv’s deliberations. Though her late husband is widely hailed as an anti-corruption icon who risked his life to oppose Putin, Navalny’s legacy in Ukraine is clouded by past statements that Crimea, which Putin annexed in 2014, belonged to Russia.