Joe Biden received Ukrainian President and reiterated his support for “Russian aggression”

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zelensky the US “firm commitment” to the territorial integrity of Ukraine in the face of Russian “aggression” and offered him $ 60 million in military aid.

The first meeting between the two leaders He focused on security issues: from Ukraine’s entry into NATO to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and through tensions in Donbass, the scene since 2014 of a war between the Ukrainian army and the Russian-backed separatists.

Speaking to reporters before the start of the meeting, the US president said Kiev and Washington share the “same system of values” and both want a “complete, free and peaceful Europe”.

“The United States remains firmly committed to the territorial integrity of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression,” Biden told Zelensky. in the Oval Office of the White House.

In response, the Ukrainian leader thanked Washington for its continued support for Ukraine’s “sovereignty” and “territorial integrity” and said that efforts should be concentrated on the Donbass, the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, as well as the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov, which Russia considers to be part of its sphere of influence.

60 MILLION DOLLARS FOR MISSILES AND OTHER WEAPONS

Zelenski also thanked Biden for the $ 60 million the White House requested from Congress on Friday, with the idea that the package would be ready for the Ukrainian ruler’s visit.

Specifically, The package includes Javelin-type anti-tank missiles, which Washington has sent to Kiev on previous occasions, as well as lethal and non-lethal weapons designed to enable Ukraine to “defend itself more effectively against Russian aggression.” the White House said in a statement after the meeting.

Since 2014, when the conflict with Russia erupted, the United States has granted Ukraine $ 2.5 billion in military aid, of which $ 400 million this year alone.

Other than military aid, the White House has not announced any other concrete commitments to Ukraine.

UKRAINE’S ENTRY INTO NATO

Biden gave only half-hearted support for Ukraine’s entry into NATO and couldn’t say when the request might be approved. “We support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations”, Biden just said.

Zelensky had come to Washington hoping to get details of the entry, especially after Ukraine participated in the massive evacuations from Afghanistan with the transfer out of the Asian country of Afghan and American citizens.

Despite Ukraine’s growing collaboration with NATO, Most Atlantic Alliance members believe Ukraine must pass a series of political reforms before joining the select club.

In this regard, Biden mentioned that one of the themes of the meeting would be to see how Washington can help Kiev to “advance its democratic reform agenda” to integrate itself “fully” into Europe.

NORD FLUX 2

Nor have there been any major announcements around the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will deliver Russian gas to Germany bypassing Ukraine, depriving the country of an important source of revenue, since until now most Russian gas destined for Europe passed through Ukrainian soil and Kiev charged Moscow transit fees.

The pipeline was barely present in the statements the two leaders exchanged to the press. Biden simply said he wanted to create a new “dialogue” with Ukraine on energy and climate change, in line with its goals of reducing global warming.

In July, Washington and Berlin struck a deal for the United States to withdraw opposition to the pipeline, which Ukraine has greeted with some suspicion.

A RETURN TO NORMALITY

Despite the absence of major announcements, The meeting has a great symbolic value because it stages the return to normal of relations between Washington and Kiev. after the scandal that sparked a phone call in which former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) asked Zelenski for a “favor”.

Specifically, during that call in July 2019, Trump pressured Zelensky to investigate allegations of corruption in Ukraine Biden, then his political rival, and his son Hunter, which led to a political lawsuit against the former president from whom he was acquitted.

It is also the first meeting at the White House between an American president and a Ukrainian president in more than four years. The last meeting at the presidential residence was in June 2017, when President Trump received Zelensky’s predecessor, Petro Poroshenko.

Zelensky is also the second European leader Biden received at the White House after German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited in June.

With information from the EFE

Read on: