President Joe Biden, who is currently on a five-day visit to France on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, met on Friday with his counterparts – French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters about some details of these meetings. This is reported by voice of America, reports UNN.
Details
When asked whether Biden shares the French leader's more active stance on protecting Ukraine, Kirby said President Biden fully respects President Macron's prerogatives and his ability to express his views on what is happening in Ukraine, How and why, and to what extent the French people will respond to support for Ukraine.
The French supported Ukraine by both lethal and non-lethal means, and we are grateful to them for this. They are a key member of the coalition of 50 countries that support Ukraine. At the same time, the president of the United States and the commander-in-chief made it clear that there will be no American military personnel on the territory of Ukraine. So it was, and so it will continue to be
Kirby stressed the "important difference" in the opinions of Biden and Macron regarding the sending of troops. according to him, the president in a conversation with the French leader clearly noted several points:
First, we will do everything necessary to ensure that NATO is strengthened and able to defend itself. That is why he sent another 20,000 American troops to the European continent and made sure that they remained there so that the eastern flank of NATO was well protected. And he made this clear not only to our allies, but also to Russia. Secondly, we will do everything possible to ensure that Ukraine has everything necessary for protection. And we will do it openly. Today, the president announced the allocation of another 2 225 million as part of the aid package
And third, from the very beginning, the president made it clear that we do not want a third World War and do not want war with Russia. And he knows and has repeatedly stated that the escalation of this conflict is so terrible not only for the Ukrainian people; it can have disastrous consequences for the entire European continent... the president has made this clear, and he will continue to emphasize it
Commenting on Biden's meeting with Zelensky, the White House representative noted that the Ukrainian leader "shared with President Biden a very frank assessment of what is happening and under what pressure [the armed forces of Ukraine] are, especially in the East, in the Donbas.
He stressed that the Ukrainians "were able to contain the Russian offensive, especially around Kharkiv. The Russian troops actually stopped there; their next Kharkiv is almost complete, because they came across the first line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and actually stopped if they did not retreat.
But we cannot, like the Ukrainians, take this for granted. They want not only to stop the Russians, but also to push them back. And President Biden запевнив assured President Zelensky that they will continue to receive our support.