Biden Affirms Support for Ukraine Against 'Russian Aggression'

WASHINGTON — President Biden connected Wednesday assured Ukraine’s president that the United States remained opposed to “Russian aggression” successful the region, utilizing an Oval Office gathering to affirm his enactment for a person unnerved by America’s chaotic exit from Afghanistan.

The gathering with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine besides allowed Mr. Biden to nonstop a connection to Russia that helium was committed to lasting by a strategical spouse that Moscow has invaded.

“The concern betwixt our nations grows stronger and its going to go adjacent stronger,” Mr. Biden said, noting the 2 countries had a “similar worth system” that included a committedness to a Europe that was “whole, escaped and astatine peace.”

Despite a hold of a fewer days, owed successful portion to the unfolding situation successful Afghanistan, Mr. Zelensky yet got the Oval Office reception helium had been seeking since his predetermination successful 2019. His earlier efforts to unafraid specified a gathering with President Donald J. Trump led to Mr. Zelensky unwittingly becoming entangled successful an planetary incidental that led to Mr. Trump’s archetypal impeachment trial.

Mr. Zelensky, for his part, thanked the United States for a caller $60 cardinal defence assistance bundle and said helium wanted to absorption connected information issues, including the Russian concern of Crimea.

Speaking done a translator, helium expressed condolences for the 13 U.S. work members killed past week successful Afghanistan. “We are precise compassionate, since we person been dealing with specified tragic losses for 8 years successful a row,” Mr. Zelensky said, referring to those killed warring successful eastbound Ukraine against Russian-backed separatists.

During the meeting, Mr. Biden besides told Mr. Zelensky that helium wanted to question to Ukraine, which nary American president has visited since President George W. Bush successful 2008. Mr. Biden visited Ukraine regularly arsenic vice president.

A amusement of enactment whitethorn beryllium necessary. Ukrainians person been discouraged arsenic they person watched America’s unruly and abrupt exit from Afghanistan. “Their interest is that commitments, understandings and assurance that they’ve had from and with the United States could beryllium jeopardized by this,” said William B. Taylor Jr., who served arsenic U.S. ambassador to Ukraine betwixt 2006 and 2009, and who was a prima witnesser during Mr. Trump’s archetypal impeachment trial.

“They astir desperately privation to judge that the longtime enactment for Ukraine, implicit administrations of each kinds, is going to persist,” helium said. “But they can’t assistance but beryllium acrophobic erstwhile they spot the United States quickly, and with immoderate disarray, pulling retired of a state wherever we’ve been for 20 years.”

Mr. Biden’s nonsubjective up of the gathering was to show a wide committedness to Ukraine’s sovereignty, officials said. The determination to let Mr. Zelensky to beryllium lone the 2nd European person to sojourn the White House since Mr. Bidens inauguration sent a beardown awesome that Ukraine remains a precedence for the administration.

Supporting Ukraine is captious for an medication that has made strengthening Democratic norms astatine location and overseas arsenic a cardinal objective, overseas argumentation experts said.

Mr. Biden besides signed disconnected connected a caller $60 cardinal assistance bundle with Ukraine that included Javelin anti-armor missiles and different lethal weapons, an authoritative said, and announced caller agreements connected security, vigor and clime coordination aft bilateral meetings with the visiting Ukrainian delegation.

The Biden medication has present provided much than $400 cardinal successful information assistance to Ukraine this year, an authoritative said.

The Trump medication besides provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, reversing a determination not to bash truthful by the Obama administration, erstwhile Mr. Biden was vice president. Former President Barack Obama constricted American assistance to Ukraine to “nonlethal” items similar assemblage armor, night-vision goggles and archetypal assistance kits, to debar tempting President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to rise the stakes.

The Biden medication was besides expected to motion a revised strategical defence model to boost practice connected security, cybersecurity and quality sharing, mounting the signifier for person practice that volition amended the capabilities of the Ukrainian military, officials said.

Overall, however, Mr. Biden’s grounds connected Ukraine has been mixed, experts said. The medication dropped its efforts earlier this twelvemonth to artifact the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which volition transport earthy state straight from Russia to Germany, allowing Russia to bypass Ukraine and deprive it of gross from transit fees.

In a associated connection released aft the meeting, some countries stated that they “continue to reason Nord Stream 2, which we presumption arsenic a menace to European vigor security.”

The Biden medication has besides not yet announced a nominee to service arsenic ambassador to Ukraine, a presumption that has remained vacant since 2019 erstwhile Marie L. Yovanovitch was ousted from her occupation for evident disloyalty to Mr. Trump.