U.S President, Joe Biden has announced a $225m aid package to help rebuild Ukraine’s electric grid.
This came as Biden met Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of D-Day anniversary celebrations in Paris.
The U.S. President made assurrance of further support for Ukraine.
“Today I’m also signing an additional package for $225 million to help you reconstruct the electric grid. And I continue to say that the United States is standing with you.
“You are the bulwark against aggression. We have an obligation to be there. And so, I’m looking forward to having a detailed discussion with you about where to go from here.”
Joe Biden
On his part, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Biden for the leadership of the United States of America in supporting the Ukrainian Peace Formula and noted the importance of the participation of the USA in the Global Peace Summit.
“I hope that this will be the first step on the way to peace. We need peace in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed our country’s defense capabilities.
The Ukrainian President emphasized the importance of strengthening the defense of the Kharkiv region and accelerating deliveries within the framework of new military assistance packages from the United States.
He spoke in detail about the situation on the battlefield.
He noted that in order to effectively defend itself against daily Russian terror, Ukraine needs the ability to strike military targets in Russia.
Biden Apologizes For Holdup Of Aid For Ukraine
Also on Friday, Biden publicly apologized to Ukraine for the six monthslong holdup of $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine.
“I apologise for the weeks of not knowing what’s going on in terms of funding,” Biden told Zelenskyy, blaming “very conservative” members of Congress for holding up the funding bill.
Nonetheless, Biden lauded what he called Ukraine’s “impressive” war efforts against Russia.
“You haven’t bowed down. You haven’t yielded at all,” Mr. Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart.
He added, “You continue to fight in a way that is just remarkable, just remarkable. We’re not going to walk away from you.”
The U.S President insisted that the American people were standing by Ukraine for the long haul, saying, “We’re still in. Completely. Thoroughly.”
Zelenskyy pressed for all Americans to support his country’s defense against Russia’s invasion, and he thanked lawmakers for eventually coming together to approve the weapons package, which has allowed Ukraine to stem Russian advances in recent weeks.
“It’s very important that in this unity, United States of America, all American people stay with Ukraine like it was during World War II. How the United States helped to save human lives, to save Europe.
“We count on your continued support and standing shoulder to shoulder with us. It is so necessary for our people to feel that we are not alone, that we are with you – our strategic partner.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Last month, Washington disclosed that it gave Kyiv the green light to use US-provided weapons to attack targets inside Russia to help protect Kharkiv.
Zelenskyy on Friday suggested 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, sorry,” Zelenskyy told Biden.
“But I think there are some details on the battlefield you need to hear from us. We’re thankful for this,” he added.
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