Biden Invites Ukranian Ambassador to State of the Union Speech

(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine's envoy to the U.S. will attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address on Tuesday night as a guest of the White House, offering a high-profile display of solidarity amid the Russian invasion.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova will join first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff in a box traditionally reserved for individuals likely to be recognized by the president during the speech because they represent policies or themes the White House is seeking to advance.

Biden is expected to lay out efforts the U.S. has taken “to rally the world to stand up for democracy and against Russian aggression,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.

“He will talk about the steps we've taken to not only support the Ukrainian people with military and economic assistance, but also the steps he's taken to build a global coalition imposing crippling financial sanctions on President Putin, his inner circle and the Russian economy,” Psaki said.

Markarova will be joined by eight Americans who embody elements of the president's legislative agenda.

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That group includes Intel Corp. Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger -- who recently announced plans to construct a $20 billion semiconductor facility in Ohio -- as Biden is expected to push Congress to complete work on legislation that would provide more than $50 billion in subsidies to the industry to return manufacturing to the U.S.

Biden has also invited Frances Haugen, the former Facebook Inc. employee who disclosed thousands of internal documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission revealing how the social media giant was grappling with pervasive disinformation and bullying on its platforms. White House officials have said Biden is expected to call on lawmakers to ban advertisements targeting children on social media platforms during the speech.

Other guests are expected to highlight progress Biden has made during his first year in office.

Biden plans to recognize the Ohio widow of a National Guard veteran who developed lung cancer and died after being exposed to burn pits, used by the military to destroy waste. Lawmakers have banned the military's use of the pits, and Biden last year announced a new effort to better treat medical conditions stemming from exposure to them.

Other attendees include: a New Jersey mother whose children are enrolled in a free child-care program funded by pandemic recovery legislation; a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe who received a federal grant to support student mental health; and an Ohio nurse who treats coronavirus patients.

Biden is likely to highlight his infrastructure legislation that cleared Congress last year by mentioning a Pittsburgh-area steelworker and union member invited to the address, and push for a prescription drug overhaul by highlighting the plight of a 13-year-old from Virginia who suffers from Type-1 diabetes.