In White House Meeting, Biden Assures Ukraine's President Of U.S. Support Against 'Russian Aggression'
According to RFE/RL, U.S. President Joe Biden assured his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that the United States stands behind Kyiv against “Russian aggression” in a widely anticipated meeting at the White House.
"The United States remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression and our support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations," Biden told the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office on September 1.
"The partnership between our nations grows stronger, and it's going to even become stronger than it has been," he added.
However, he did not give the Ukrainian president a clear path toward NATO membership, nor an indication his administration would get directly involved in peace talks to help end a seven-year war with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Zelenskiy arrived at the White House saying he had a “very big agenda” to discuss, with a focus on security and Ukraine’s ambitions to join the NATO alliance.
"I would like to discuss with President Biden his vision, his government's vision, of Ukraine's chances to join NATO and the time frame," he said.
But Biden has made it clear he considers Ukraine far from ready to join the alliance, with the country still in need of vast reforms and Russia strongly opposing the prospect of NATO membership.
Instead, Biden appeared ready to press Zelenskiy to tackle corruption and carry out badly needed reforms.
“We're going to discuss how the U.S. can continue to support Ukraine as it advances its democratic reforms agenda and movement toward being completely integrated in Europe,” Biden said.
Russia took control of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 after staging a referendum dismissed as illegal by at least 100 countries. Moscow also backs separatists in a war against government forces that has killed more than 13,200 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014, although it has consistently denied any role in the fighting.
Zelenskiy has said he would like the United States to get involved in stalled peace talks. The main partners in that effort include France and Germany, along with Ukraine and Russia, but some Ukrainian officials are skeptical of the support received from Berlin and Paris and have pushed for more involvement by Washington to breathe life into the peace process.
The United States created the position of special envoy for peace talks, but that role has been left unfilled since September 2019. The Biden administration is not expected to fill the position, a U.S. State Department official told RFE/RL ahead of the meeting.
