Ukrainian First Lady Declines State of the Union Invite Over Controversial Seating Arrangement
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Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska declined an invitation to attend President Biden's State of the Union address.
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Zelenska was intended to sit next to U.S. first lady Jill Biden and Russian activist Yulia Navalnya, widow of Alexei Navalny.
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Navalny was unpopular in Ukraine due to past support for Russia's annexation of Crimea, making the seating arrangement questionable.
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The decision suggested the Biden administration doesn't understand cultural and political dynamics between Russia and Ukraine.
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The White House inviting Zelenska to sit with Navalnya showed a lack of competence and intellectual curiosity, according to one analyst.