United States President Joe Biden will host Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House next week, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday (September 15), adding that the meeting comes at a time when Russia “desperately” seeks help from North Korea in war with Ukraine.
The NSA said that this will be the third meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy.
In a major development, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on September 13 vowed support for Russia’s “just fight” during a summit with President Vladimir Putin that the US warned could lead to a deal to supply ammunition for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
“President Biden will host President Zelensky of Ukraine here at the White House on Thursday. And this will be their third meeting,” Sullivan said at a press briefing.
“It certainly comes at a critical time as Russia desperately seeks help from countries like North Korea for its brutal war in Ukraine as Ukrainian forces continue to make progress in the counteroffensive…” he added, referring to the recent visit of Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia.
The NSA said that the US President is looking forward to hearing Zelenskyy's perspective on this.
"President Biden looks forward to hearing President Zelensky's perspective on all of this and to reaffirm for the world and for the United States, his commitment to continuing to lead the world in supporting Ukraine as it defends its independence, its sovereignty, and its territorial integrity," Sullivan said, adding that the US keeps on preparing new military packages for Ukraine.
"We are always preparing a new military package for Ukraine. We do these drawdown packages essentially every couple of weeks,” he said.
Sullivan suggested the supply of additional weapons to Ukraine.
"I think you can anticipate that there will be a further announcement of additional resources and capabilities, additional weapons to go to Ukraine..." he said.
According to Al Jazeera, Zelenskyy will visit Washington next week as he sets to make the case for ongoing aid-related discussions for Ukraine.
Joe Biden administration has asked Congress to provide USD 24 billion for Ukraine support, including USD 13.1 billion in additional military aid and USD 8.5 billion for humanitarian aid, Al Jazeera reported.
However, some politicians, primarily from the Republican party have opposed to the idea of providing more financial and military supplies to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s visit to the US coincides with the Congress debate over federal spending, as the lawmakers face the deadline of September 30 to pass a budget.
Although, Congress has approved aid over USD 113 billion, however, their last funding was in December, before Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, according to Al Jazeera.
Zelenskyy made a wartime visit to Washington in December 2022 and addressed a joint meeting of Congress.
It was his first known trip outside his country since Russia invaded in February 2022.
(With ANI inputs)
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