Biden meets with Zelensky, apologizes for delay in Ukraine aid
President Biden apologized to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on Friday for the gap in U.S. funding for Ukraine’s war against Russia amid GOP opposition, but vowed the White House is “thoroughly” supportive of Kyiv.
Biden met with Zelensky in Normandy, France, where world leaders are gathered to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The U.S. president unveiled another $225 million aid package for Ukraine during the meeting.
“I apologize for the weeks of not knowing what’s going to pass in terms of funding because we had trouble getting the bill that we had to pass that had the money in it. Some of our very conservative members were holding it up. But we got it done finally,” Biden said.
“We’re still in,” he added. “Completely. Thoroughly.”
Biden in late April signed a $95 billion national security supplemental that included $61 billion for Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces.
The bill was passed months after the White House said it was out of funds to provide Ukraine with munitions and other support. But dozens of Republicans in Congress opposed spending additional money for Kyiv, arguing the government should focus on domestic problems.
While the bill ultimately passed after months of negotiations, 18 senators and 112 members in the House still voted against it.
During the break in U.S. aid, Russian forces made gains in parts of Ukraine and, in early May, launched a fresh offensive in the northern and eastern parts of the country, putting the Ukrainian military under further stress.
The Biden administration recently authorized Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike targets inside Russia near the border between the two countries, more than two years after Moscow launched an invasion of its neighbor.
“We’re not authorizing strikes 200 miles into Russia, and we’re not authorizing strikes on Moscow, on the Kremlin,” Biden told ABC News on Thursday.
Rallying allies to support Ukraine has been a central part of Biden’s foreign policy during his first term, even as the right wing of the Republican Party, led by former President Trump, have pushed back on continued U.S. support for Kyiv.
Biden, in remarks Thursday to mark the anniversary of D-Day, directly connected the fighting in World War II to the importance of maintaining alliances today.
The president’s meeting with Zelensky in France comes a week ahead of a scheduled Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Switzerland. Biden will not attend, as he will be traveling from the Group of Seven Summit in Italy to a fundraiser in California. Vice President Harris will represent the White House instead.
Updated at 7:49 a.m. EDT
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