As Kyiv’s military battles its most difficult days of fighting since the start of the war with Russia and prepares for what officers predict will be a difficult summer, US President Joe Biden was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyy in Paris on Friday.
Ukraine is attempting to fight off an intense Soviet offensive in southeast areas of the nation, and the United States is by far Kyiv’s biggest supplier of military aid. Ukrainian authorities say the squeeze is being directed at Kharkiv and Donetsk, but it could also spread as Russia’s bigger military tries to use its advantage.
The unpleasant is seeking to exploit Kyiv’s scarcity of ammunition and army along the almost 1, 000- mile ( 620- hour ) top line.
After US military assistance was stalled in Congress for six weeks, a$ 61 billion military aid package for Ukraine was passed by Biden in April.
Zelenskyy has long been frustrated by the sluggish distribution of pledged American weapons, and Biden has resisted supplying more hardware out of concern for Russian President Vladimir Putin. That has caused anxiety in their marriage.
The US will take about$ 225 million in military aid to Ukraine, US authorities said Thursday. According to authorities, the most recent offer includes ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as cement devices and a variety of artillery shells.
Some NATO supporters, including the US, said last week that they do allow Ukraine to utilize weaponry they deliver to Kyiv to carry out minimal attacks inside Russia, easing their position in the wake of Russia’s most new atrocity and with the Ukrainian army reeling.
The Kremlin reacted furiously to that action, warning that Europe’s biggest fight since World War II might spiral out of control.
Biden and Zelenskyy attended the 80th commemoration events of D- Morning in Normandy, northwestern France, on Thursday, along with Western leaders who have supported Kyiv’s efforts in the battle.
Biden pledged” we will not walk away” from Ukraine, drawing a clear line from the struggle to end Nazi rule in Europe and the ongoing Soviet offensive.
Ukraine views its conflict with the Kremlin’s forces as a conflict between Russian despotism and Western political freedom. Russia claims that it is defending itself from a dangerous NATO military alliance growth.
In a 20- moment statement Friday at the National Assembly, the lower house of the European parliament, Zelenskyy drew a opposite with the sacrifices made during World War II and his country’s recent fight.
” This battle is a crossroads”, Zelenskyy said. ” A moment where we can now write history the way we need it to. Or we can become victims of history as it suits… our enemy”.
Zelenskyy, who spoke in Ukrainian, was frequently interrupted by lawmakers ‘ applause and cheers. When he said,” Dear France, I thank you for standing by our side as we defend life,” he received a standing ovation.
French president Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, announced late Thursday that France will provide Ukraine with its Mirage combat aircraft.
Macron has vehemently backed Ukraine. He claimed in February that it was not “ruled out” to deploy Western troops to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s formal ceremony at the site of Napoleon’s tomb, the Golden-Domed Invalides Monument, kicked off a day of meetings in Paris.
Zelenskyy was scheduled to visit the Nexter arms manufacturer in Versailles during the day. The company produces the Caesar self-propelled howitzers, which are one of the weapons that France has given to Kyiv’s forces.
He and Macron were scheduled to meet at the Elysee Palace as well.
Zelenskyy’s foreign trips aim to keep Ukraine’s plight in the public eye, secure more military help for its fight against Russia’s invasion and lock in long- term Western support through bilateral alliances.
In February, France and Ukraine signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement. Similar bilateral agreements have been reached with a number of European nations since Zellenskyy’s time.
Barbara Surk in Nice and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed.
