The US president says Washington is still “totally and completely” supporting kyiv to defend itself against the Russian invasion.
US President Joe Biden apologized to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy for previous delays in Washington's aid to kyiv, and emphasized that the US is “not going to stop” supporting Ukraine.
The two leaders met Friday in Paris on the sidelines of D-Day anniversary celebrations, where the U.S. president announced a $225 million aid package to help rebuild Ukraine's power grid.
Biden emphasized that the United States will continue to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion. “We're still in, completely, completely,” she said.
Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars to kyiv to help defend itself against the Russian offensive that began in February 2022. But earlier this year, funds available for the Biden administration to help Ukraine began to dwindle for a impasse in Congress to authorize new aid.
Some right-wing lawmakers have been skeptical about U.S. support for Ukraine. To further complicate matters, lawmakers attempted to tie aid to Ukraine to other issues, including assistance to Israel and domestic priorities.
After months of negotiations between the White House and congressional leaders, lawmakers in April approved a $61 billion Ukraine funding bill that Biden signed into law. The legislation also provided $14 billion in military aid to Israel.
“I apologize for the weeks of not knowing what's going on in terms of funding,” Biden told Zelenskyy, blaming “very conservative” members of Congress for delaying the funding bill.
Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine after a months-long standoff in which Moscow amassed troops near the Ukrainian border as Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded an end to NATO expansion in former Soviet republics.
Ukrainian forces halted the Russian advance on kyiv early in the war and pushed back Kremlin troops in some areas. But the conflict gradually turned into a protracted war, with most of the fighting taking place in eastern Ukraine.
A Ukrainian counteroffensive last year failed to make significant territorial gains. In recent weeks, Russia has renewed attacks on Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine that is 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Russian border.
On Friday, Biden praised what he called Ukraine's “impressive” war efforts against Russia.
“You haven't bowed. You haven't given in at all. You continue to fight in a remarkable way,” he told Zelenskyy.
Last month, Washington said it had given kyiv the green light to use US-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia and help protect Kharkiv.
Zelenskyy suggested Friday that the move is making a difference in the conflict.
“Your decisions have had [a] positive influence. “I don’t want to share everything, all the details, with the press, I’m sorry,” Zelenskyy told Biden. “But I think there are some details on the battlefield that you should hear from us. We are grateful for this.”
