Joe Biden received his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodímir Zelenski, in the Oval Office on Wednesday. This is the first official meeting between the two in Washington and in which Biden reiterated his commitment to defending Ukraine against Russia.
“We have come to present our plan for the transformation of Ukraine. We have presented our plan in Washington and we would like to discuss the role that the United States wishes to play in this transformation and in the economic reactivation of our country,” Zelenski said.
Biden said that one of the issues on the agenda is to see how Washington can help Kiev to “advance its agenda of democratic reforms” to integrate “fully” in Europe.
“The United States remains firmly committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression. Their aspirations for European integration have our support. That is why we are revitalizing the strategic partnership between our nations. We are also creating a new strategic framework for defense and a new security assistance package valued at 60 million dollars, “said the US president.
This is the first meeting between the two leaders, who have spoken twice by phone, in April and June.
In addition to meeting with Biden, President Zelensky is holding talks with senior US military officials about the recovery of Crimea, tensions in the Donbas and the construction of a controversial Russian-German gas pipeline that will bypass Ukraine’s territory.
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