I apologize for… Zelenskiy receives an apology from Biden for congressional delays in US aid.
I apologize for… Zelenskiy receives an apology from Biden for congressional delays in US aid.
US President Joe Biden apologized to Ukraine in public for the first time on Friday, citing the months-long parliamentary deadlock over US military aid as the reason Russia was able to outgun Ukraine militarily.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, met with Biden in Paris and requested that the United States continue to provide bipartisan assistance “as it was during World War II.”
The previous day, Zelensky was given a standing ovation at events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, and Biden drew comparisons between the allied forces that helped free Europe from Nazi Germany and the efforts being made today to support Ukraine against its invasion.
The previous day, Zelenskyy was given a standing ovation at events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, and Biden drew comparisons between the allied forces that helped free Europe from Nazi Germany and the efforts being made today to support Ukraine against its invasion.
“I am sorry for those weeks when we didn’t know what would happen with funding,” Biden said, alluding to the six-month delay in a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine caused by conservative Republicans in Congress. Despite this, the president, who is a Democrat, maintained that the people of the United States were supporting Ukraine in the long run. “We’re still present. In totality. Completely, he remarked.
The apology served as a reminder that, despite Biden’s assertions of an unwavering US commitment to Ukraine, congressional Republicans’ reluctance and the strain of isolationism in American politics have exposed the nation’s vulnerability. Zelenskyy had also called for unwavering support akin to the allied coalition during World War II.
Unnoticed but overshadowing the conversation was the potential of Donald Trump running for office. The presumed contender, a Republican and past president, has defended Russian President Vladimir Putin and alarmed Ukrainians by suggesting that he would insist on land concessions in exchange for an end to hostilities.
Zelenskyy applauded Congress for finally uniting to pass the weapons package, which has enabled Ukraine to halt Russian advances in recent weeks, and urged all Americans to support his nation’s defense against Russia’s invasion.
“It’s critical that all Americans remain united with Ukraine as they did during World War II in the United States of America,” Zelenskyy stated.
“How the United States contributed to saving lives and rescuing Europe.” And we rely on your unwavering support to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.
The largest source of military assistance to Kyiv during the conflict is the United States, and the government is attempting to repel a fierce Russian attack in its eastern regions. The offensive is concentrated on the Donetsk and Kharkiv districts of the Ukrainian border, but officials in Ukraine warn that it may extend as Russia’s larger army tries to demonstrate its superiority.
Along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, Kyiv is suffering from a scarcity of personnel and ammunition, which is being exploited by the onslaught.
Zelenskyy has long been irritated by the glacial speed at which promised Western weapons are being delivered, as well as by Biden’s reluctance to provide additional gear out of concern that he would enrage Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their relationship is tense as a result of that.
According to Biden, the United States will give Ukraine roughly $225 million in military assistance on Friday. According to U.S. authorities on Thursday, the most recent cargo contains artillery rounds, mortar systems, and munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS.
Three people were killed and 35 injured on Friday when the Ukrainian military used American-made ATACMS missiles to hit the partially-occupied Luhansk area, according to local authorities nominated by Moscow.
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