Biden Apologizes to Zelensky for Delay in Approving Aid to Ukraine

The President of the United States met with Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, on the sidelines of the 80th anniversary of "D-Day" and apologized for the delay by the U.S. Congress in approving aid to Ukraine. On Friday, June 8, Biden announced that Washington would provide another aid package worth $225 million to Ukraine. This was the first in-person meeting between the two since Zelensky's last visit to Washington in December, when the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents pressured Republican leaders to stop opposing further aid to Ukraine. The two presidents will also meet next week at the G7 summit in Italy, where one of the topics will be the withdrawal of $50 billion from frozen Russian assets in the West to meet Ukraine's military needs. Zelensky told Reuters last month that Western governments' decisions regarding aid to Ukraine take too long. Biden, during the anniversary of America's decisive battle, stated that withdrawing from Ukraine would threaten all of Europe. In the meeting on Friday, Biden told Zelensky, "You have not bowed your head and have not surrendered at all. You are admirably continuing the fight. We will not abandon you." Biden apologized for the weeks of uncertainty regarding the fate of the aid, stating that several conservative members of Congress were obstructing the process, but it has ultimately been realized. Zelensky also thanked the U.S. for military, financial, and humanitarian aid, emphasizing the importance of bipartisan support in Congress and the unified support of the American people for Ukraine, likening it to World War II when the U.S. helped save lives and rescue Europe. The U.S. President, in a speech on Thursday at the "D-Day" ceremony on the beaches of Normandy, compared the fight against tyranny during World War II with the war in Ukraine against Russia, labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "tyrant." The Ukrainian army has faced difficulties in countering the past month’s attacks by the Russian army in the Kharkiv region. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the new aid package includes artillery and shells, armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, and air defense systems, which will enhance Ukraine's capabilities along the front lines. Zelensky, in France, warned that Russia could bring Europe back to the days of Nazism. Last week, Biden changed his position, stating that Ukraine could target parts of Russian territory that are considered support areas for recent attacks on Kharkiv. John Finer, Deputy National Security Advisor, stated that Washington is working to increase its support to the level needed by the Ukrainian army. He mentioned that two types of weapons, unlimited supplies of artillery shells and air defense systems, could shift the balance of the war in favor of Ukraine, but the U.S. is facing shortages in both areas. He added that outside the battlefronts of the Ukraine war, there is competition occurring in factories in the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine. Dalip Singh, an advisor on international economic affairs at the National Security Council, also mentioned that reaching an agreement on withdrawing from frozen Russian assets will be difficult, and negotiations on the details of such a decision are still ongoing, with him traveling to Italy on Friday to continue discussions.