President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday morning, stressing that the United States would “never recognize” Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories, adding a new $600 million to Ukraine. The White House said it had announced a $25 million security assistance package. after the call.
During the meeting, the president said, “I promised to continue to help Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression,” and announced a new package containing additional weapons and equipment, including: “HIMARS, Artillery Systems and Ammunition, and Armored Vehicles.”
“President Biden also confirmed that he is prepared to impose a severe price on individuals, groups and countries that support Russia’s annexation,” the White House said. “He welcomed the success of the agreement enabling the safe export of Ukrainian grains to world markets and the need to ensure that it continues.”
During the conference call, Mr Biden also noted “the United States’ continued efforts to rally the world behind Ukraine’s efforts to defend freedom and democracy, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.”
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A Ukrainian official told Fox News after a call that Biden and Zelensky had a “very good conversation.”
The call came after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree formally annexing four regions of Ukraine that, in Russia’s view, are under the control of the Russian Federation.
Russian news outlets reported on Tuesday: Russian parliamentarian Unanimously approved the decree to integrate Kherson, Zaporizhia, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics of Ukraine into the Russian Federation.
The call also came when Zelenskyy “accelerated” Ukraine’s application for NATO membership after Russia annexed four Ukrainian territories.
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“In effect, we have already proven our compatibility with allied standards. They are real for Ukraine, real on the battlefield and in all aspects of our interactions,” Zelensky said over the weekend. Told. “We trust each other, we help each other, we protect each other. This is an alliance.”
The presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, North Macedonia and Slovakia issued a joint statement on Sunday supporting Ukraine’s path to joining the alliance.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declined to comment on Ukraine’s path to membership, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that any decision “must be made by consensus.” said the alliance’s “top priority” was to help Ukraine.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week that the United States supports NATO’s open-door policy to countries that want to join.
“The best way to help Ukraine now is through practical, on-the-ground assistance in Ukraine, and the Brussels process should be addressed at another time,” Sullivan said at a press conference. It’s an opinion,” he said. meeting.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall and Paul Best contributed to this report.