PARIS- President Joe Biden communicated this Friday to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelensky, new aid from the United States for 225 million dollars.
“The United States will always be with you,” Biden said during a meeting in Paris with Zelensky, who thanked him for Washington’s support in his war to defend against the Russian invasion.
Both are in France on the occasion of the ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, which brought together Western leaders in northwest France the day before alongside Zelensky, but without his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Before the French National Assembly (lower house), Zelensky assured that “Europe is no longer a continent of peace” and that Putin is a “common enemy” of Ukraine and Europe.
public apology
President Joe Biden publicly apologized for the first time on Friday to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymir Zelensky, for the months-long interruption in the delivery of military aid, which allowed Russia to gain ground on the battlefield.
During the meeting in Paris, Biden told Zelenskyy that he apologized to the Ukrainian people for the weeks they spent without knowing if they would receive more help.
Biden insisted that the American people remained with Ukraine for the long term. “We are still inside. completely,” he stated.
The United States is by far the largest provider of war aid to Ukraine, which is trying to defend itself from an intense Russian offensive in the east of the country. The Kremlin’s new operation is focused on the border regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, but local authorities warn it could expand as Moscow’s larger army tries to press its advantage.
The Russian offensive is trying to take advantage of kyiv’s troop and ammunition shortage on the front line, which stretches for about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
equipment
In the presence of the Ukrainian president, the Franco-German arms group KNDS made official this Friday the creation of a subsidiary in Ukraine to produce equipment and ammunition.
Western countries increased their aid to kyiv as Russia gains ground in its offensive launched in February 2022 to invade Ukraine.
On Thursday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the supply of Mirage-2000 fighters and the training of Ukrainian pilots in France starting this summer.
Macron also indicated that France had proposed training 4,500 soldiers on Ukrainian territory.
The Kremlin accused France this Friday of being “willing” to “directly participate in the conflict” in Ukraine.
Source: AFP
