US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced his readiness to make a trip to Ukraine, the White House press pool said.
“Yes,” the president said, answering the question whether he was ready to go to Ukraine.
At the same time, the president noted that the US administration is currently “making a decision” about a possible trip of high-ranking representatives of the US authorities to Ukraine.
Earlier, Politico reported, citing sources, that the US administration was conducting internal discussions about sending a high-ranking US official to Kyiv in order to demonstrate support for Ukraine. The most likely candidates for a trip to Kyiv may be US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken or Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The administration is also considering the candidacies of the US President himself and US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Politico’s interlocutors noted that if the administration decides to send someone to Kyiv, there will be no advance announcement of the trip for security reasons.
US President Joe Biden, in a conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky, announced Washington’s plans to provide Ukraine with $500 million in direct financial assistance, according to a White House press release.
“President Biden informed President Zelensky that the United States intends to provide the Ukrainian government with $500 million in direct budget support,” the document says.
The two leaders also discussed how the US is working with allies and partners to identify additional opportunities to provide defense assistance to the Ukrainian military. It was also about how the United States is trying to “satisfy the basic needs of Ukraine in the field of security.”
In addition, Zelensky provided Biden with information on the state of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, the press release also says.
U.S. President Joe Biden will join on Saturday a meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with their Ukrainian counterparts Dmytro Kuleba and Secretary of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov, U.S. media said, citing the White House pool.
“This morning, President Biden will drop by a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Ukrainian Defense Secretary Oleksiy Reznikov,” according to the statement.
Biden is in Poland and will deliver a speech on the situation in Ukraine on Saturday evening in Warsaw.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday a ban on the import of Russian oil into the United States. In a press statement in Washington on Tuesday, he stated: “Today I am announcing new sanctions. We ban all oil imports. The measure has strong bipartisan support. We made this decision in close consultation with allies in Europe.”
At the same time, Biden noted that “our European allies may not be in a position to join us.”
The U.S. President called on Congress to pass a $12 billion aid package for Ukraine. He noted that the United States has already provided Ukraine with a $1 billion security assistance package and is coordinating actions in this area with European allies.
Speaking about the impact of sanctions on Russia, Biden noted that “the Russian economy has cracked.” “The Central Bank of Russia is trying to support the ruble, but cannot do it now. We are restricting Russians’ access to technology, which will weaken its military for many years to come.” “If we don’t confront Putin now, the situation will get even worse,” he said.
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The United States does not intend to send its military to Ukraine, but provides financial assistance, U.S. President Joe Biden has said.
“We will not send troops in to fight in Ukraine, but we will continue to support the Ukrainian people. Some $460 million in aid: from Javelin missiles to ammunition. Also, $100 million is humanitarian aid and economic support for Ukraine,” Biden said during a press conference from the White House on Friday.
He added that earlier the United States had announced $100 million in guarantees a week earlier.
“Thus, the United States will provide assistance to the Ukrainian people,” he said.
During a telephone conversation with U.S. President Joseph Biden on Sunday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky invited him to pay a visit to Ukraine, according to the website of the Ukrainian head of state.
“I am convinced that your arrival in Kyiv in the coming days, which is decisive for stabilizing the situation, will be a powerful signal and will contribute to de-escalation,” Zelensky said.
During the conversation, they also talked about increasing the financial and energy stability of Ukraine against the backdrop of current challenges.
Zelensky said that the Ukrainian side understands all the current risks, ready for any development of the situation. “We will stop any escalation towards Ukraine. The capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, other cities of our state – Kharkiv and Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa – are safe and under reliable protection,” he said.
The President of Ukraine noted the steps taken by the U.S. and other partners that continue to provide effective support to Ukraine. “We expect that, among other things, it will help prevent the spread of panic,” Zelensky said.
He thanked Biden for U.S. support and noted the importance of providing effective security guarantees to Ukraine. “We are ready to discuss them in different formats,” Zelensky said, emphasizing that there can be no security in Europe without the security of Ukraine.
