The United States and France reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in its battle against the Russian invasion during a meeting in the French capital.
At a joint news conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Saturday, President Joe Biden warned that Vladimir Putin “won't stop” in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, in turn, praised his American counterpart's loyalty to Europe.
“All of Europe will be threatened, we are not going to allow that to happen,” Biden said during his state visit to France. “The United States stands firm with Ukraine. I repeat: we will not leave.”
Macron later told Biden in front of reporters: “I thank you, Mr. President, for being the president of the number one power in the world, but doing so with the loyalty of a partner who loves and respects Europeans.”
The American president has been in France since Wednesday, participating in commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings that changed the course of World War II.
On Friday, both Biden and Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris and pledged support for Ukraine.
In a statement released by the White House on Saturday, the French and American leaders said they agreed that broader security across the Atlantic was at stake in Russia's war.
“France and the United States co-chair the artillery coalition in the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group and intend to take further steps to provide the necessary support to Ukraine in the current phase and in the long term,” the statement said, referring to a coalition. of some 50 countries that meet periodically to discuss Ukraine's security needs.
The United States and France also reaffirmed their commitments to “continue to provide political, security, humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine,” according to the statement.
Shared objectives, divergent strategy
Speaking to Al Jazeera, former US ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker said that both Washington and Paris seek to “ensure that Ukraine survives as a sovereign and independent European democracy.”
He added that the countries are also united in their desire to stop “Putin's ideology of reestablishing an empire and denying the existence of the Ukrainian people.”
However, the former diplomat said nations differ in how to carry out their objectives.
“The United States has been very cautious, very concerned about escalation and very concerned about putting pressure on Putin,” Volker said.
“Macron, more recently, has gone further. He has been talking about what more can be done to help Ukraine, including possibly helping regulate their air defenses by having some trainers on the ground in Ukraine.”
Macron said Friday that he had discussed that plan with NATO leaders, and some agreed to join the effort. This will be finalized “in the coming days,” he said.
The United States has strongly opposed having its personnel on the ground in Ukraine, a position that has remained unchanged since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
Biden and Macron also discussed their support for using interest earned on frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, a move that has been met with skepticism from some European G7 allies.
'We're still in this'
Ukrainian forces, long outnumbered by Russia, have struggled to maintain pressure against Russia along the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) front line in recent months. This came as some support from Western allies waned.
Still, kyiv received a boost in recent weeks, when France and Germany in late May allowed Ukraine to use weapons they provided against targets on Russian soil.
The United States soon followed suit and gave Ukraine permission to use weapons provided by Washington on Russian territory near Kharkiv.
In Paris on Friday, Biden apologized to Zelenskyy for previous delays in Washington's aid to kyiv and emphasized that the United States is “not going to stop” supporting Ukraine.
“We're still in, completely, completely,” he said.
