Joe Biden promises Ukraine leader US will counter Russian expansion

Joe Biden meets Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in long-sought Oval Office visit
The United States has promised more military aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia

Ukraine

Bloomberg

Published: 4:49am, 2 Sep 2021

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US President Joe Biden sought to reassure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States would counter Russian hostility toward his country as the leaders met for the first time at the White House.

Biden told Zelensky that the US “remains firmly committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression”.

Zelensky thanked Biden for US donations of coronavirus vaccines and a new, US$60 million package of security aid, but said he would press the US president on Ukraine’s aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Ukraine already participates in many Nato missions, including the evacuation of Afghanistan last month, but its admission to the alliance would be regarded in Moscow as a provocation.

Zelensky has had a complicated relationship with the US. A phone call with former president Donald Trump became central to Trump’s first impeachment after a whistle-blower complained that he held up military aid to pressure Zelensky to investigate Biden’s son. Trump defended the call as “perfect”.

Andriy Yermak, a Zelensky aid whose conversations with Trump’s then-lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, also factored in the impeachment investigation, accompanied the Ukrainian president to his meeting with Biden.

The meeting with Biden comes amid tensions over Nord Stream 2 after the US all but abandoned its years-long campaign to halt the construction of the undersea pipeline that would transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine. Zelenski called the project Biden’s “loss”.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: AFP

Zelensky is seeking more clarity on how Western allies will ensure the former Soviet state’s security, especially as its current gas deal with Russia expires in 2024 and Nord Stream 2 threatens its vital revenue as a transit country. His concern is that Ukraine could suffer if Biden makes concessions to win cooperation from Russian President Vladimir Putin on issues such as nuclear non-proliferation and China.

Zelensky told Biden that energy security is “important not only for Ukraine but for all of Europe because of commencing of Nord Stream 2”.

Already this year, the US has committed to spending US$400 million on security assistance for the country. Biden also plans to send an additional US$12.8 million in Covid-19-related aid.

Zelensky arrived in Washington on Monday and on Tuesday met with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and other cabinet officials to discuss energy, climate and security issues, according to the Biden administration. Austin signed a defence framework with Ukraine designed to help the country counter Russian aggression and expand cooperation over sharing intelligence and other matters.

Wednesday’s talks between Biden and Zelensky was their first in-person person meeting, though the two presidents spoke by phone in April and June.

Zelensky has said he wanted the US to be more involved in peace talks to end the seven-year military conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region with pro-Russian separatists.

The Ukraine’s government’s top strategic dream is membership in the Nato military alliance. Photo: EPA

Biden helped ease tensions earlier this year in a summit with Putin after Russia had stationed tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border, saying they were military drills. But the situation has deteriorated in Donbas since March, and Russia plans more drills together with Belarus – which borders Ukraine on the north – later this month.

Biden visited Kyiv several times as vice-president and was deeply involved in the nation’s reform efforts, fuelling hopes in Kyiv that his administration would take an aggressive stance toward defending Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The US already supplies Ukraine with military hardware to help it fight Kremlin-backed forces in the conflict in its easternmost regions. Zelensky plans to discuss additional naval assistance with the US – which has provided some patrol boats – after the country lost several ships following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Zelensky has sought entry into Nato’s membership action plan, saying it is the only viable way to have protection from Russia. Biden said in June that Ukraine had to crack down further on corruption and meet other unspecified criteria before it can be considered for Nato membership.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: US will counter Russia hostility, Biden tells Ukraine