President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met at the White House on Wednesday as Ukraine pushes for increased military aid in its war with Russia as well as entry into NATO,
NBC News reports.
As the two leaders sat down together for their meeting in the Oval Office, Biden reaffirmed that the U.S. continued to be "firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and our support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspiration."
The meeting comes as Ukraine is seeking greater support from Washington seven years after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and backed separatists in the eastern part of the country. The war has killed roughly 14,000 people, despite a series of shaky ceasefires.
This year, Russia increased the number of troops along its eastern border and in Crimea, raising concern in both Washington and Kyiv.
In a joint statement following their meeting, the two leaders laid out shared goals on a number of issues including democracy and human rights, climate change, the Covid pandemic and defense against Russian aggression.
"Ukraine’s success is central to the global struggle between democracy and autocracy," the joint statement reads. "As we face this challenge together, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, optimistic about our ambitious common goals to advance democracy, deliver justice, enhance prosperity, and bolster security for Ukraine."
Zelensky has expressed frustration over Western allies' hesitation to approve Ukraine's bid to join he North Atlantic Treaty Organization - which Zelensky has argued would give Ukraine greater protection from Russia - and has disagreed with Biden's comments that the country needs to "clean up corruption" before it can be considered for membership.
Zelensky told reporters in the Oval Office that he wanted to discuss with Biden "Ukrainian's chances to join NATO and the time frame." The joint statement, however, did not provide a timeline or a firm commitment regarding Ukraine's bid to join NATO.
Zelensky has also been critical of the Biden administration's decision not to block the construction of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, which will directly connect Russia to Europe and bypass Ukraine. Zelensky is expected to make another appeal to Biden on Wednesday to intervene with the pipeline.
Ahead of their meeting, Biden announced that the U.S. would give an additional $60 million in military aid to Ukraine. The U.S. has committed $2.5 billion in support of Ukraine forces since the war broke out in 2014, including more than $400 million this year.
