The president of United States, Joe Bidenreiterated his support for Ukraine in its confrontation with Russia during a phone call Thursday with his counterpart in Kiev, Volodymyr Zelenskyreported the White House.
(Read here: What Macron and Putin talked about the crisis in Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US president for his “firm and unwavering support” for Ukraine and for Washington’s leadership in “mobilizing the world community to prevent russian aggression“, reported this Friday the Ukrainian Presidency.
(Also: Russia believes there is little reason for optimism in US responses.)
“The president of Ukraine he appreciated the appropriate assistance provided by the United States, in particular in the form of lethal defensive weapons (…) and expressed his hope that the United States will take further steps to strengthen defense cooperation and to strengthen the defensive capabilities of our State “, adds the press release.
Biden has been leading attempts to build a Western front against Russia’s military pressure on Ukraine that has angered Moscow as it seeks to integrate with the West. More than 100,000 Russian troops are concentrated on the Ukrainian borders.
In the call with Zelensky, Biden “reaffirmed the readiness of the United States along with its allies and partners to respond decisively if Russia invades further Ukraine,” said a White House statement.
Biden “underlined the commitment of the United States to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the text continued. Zelensky stressed the importance in the current conditions of supporting Ukraine’s economic and financial stability.
The two leaders discussed concrete steps by the United States to increase financial support for Kiev, “both bilaterally and by involving international financial institutions,” the statement said.
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They also addressed the results of the recent negotiations at the level of political advisers in the so-called Normandy format (France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia) on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky confirmed his willingness to participate in a meeting at the highest level of the Normandy format in the near future.
During the conversation, Biden said that Washington is “exploring additional macroeconomic support to help Ukraine’s economy amid pressures resulting from Russia’s military buildup,” according to the White House document.
Faced with criticism from Ukraine over the decision to call on US citizens to leave Ukraine, Biden told Zelensky that the embassy “remains open and fully operational.”
Meanwhile, expressing his support for this week’s talks, where Ukraine and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to a tense ceasefire in the disputed east of the country, Biden promised that diplomatic agreements would not be cut behind Ukraine’s back, stating: ” Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
In a tweet, Zelensky wrote that he and his American counterpart had “a long telephone conversation” and that they “discussed recent diplomatic efforts in de-escalation and agreed on joint actions in the future.”
AFP and EFE
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