US and France pledge support as Biden warns Russia ‘will not stop’ in Ukraine | Russia-Ukraine war news

The United States and France reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia’s invasion during a meeting in the French capital.

Speaking at a joint press conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Saturday, President Joe Biden warned that Vladimir Putin “would not stop” in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, in turn, welcomed his North American counterpart’s loyalty to Europe.

“All of Europe will be threatened, we will not allow that to happen,” said Biden during his state visit to France. “The United States stands strong with Ukraine. We will not, I repeat, leave.”

Macron then told Biden in front of reporters: “I thank you, Mr President, for being the president of the number one power in the world, but doing so with the loyalty of a partner who likes and respects Europeans.”

The US president has been in France since Wednesday, participating in commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings that changed the course of the Second World War.

On Friday, Biden and Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris, pledging support for Ukraine.

In a statement released by the White House on Saturday, French and American leaders said they agreed that broader security across the Atlantic was at stake in Russia’s war.

“France and the United States co-chair the artillery coalition in the Defense Contact Group of Ukraine and intend to take further steps to provide the necessary support to Ukraine in the current phase and in the long term,” the statement said, referring to to a coalition of around 50 countries that meet regularly to discuss Ukraine’s security needs.

The US and France also reaffirmed their commitments to “the continued provision of political, security, humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine”, the statement said.

Shared goals, divergent strategy

Speaking to Al Jazeera, former US ambassador to NATO, Kurt Volker, said that Washington and Paris seek “to ensure that Ukraine survives as a sovereign and independent European democracy”.

He added that the countries are also united in their desire to stop “Putin’s ideology of reestablishing an empire and denying the existence of the Ukrainian people.”

However, the former diplomat said that nations differ on how to achieve their goals.

“The U.S. has been very cautious, very worried about escalation, and very worried about poking Putin,” Volker said.

“Macron, more recently, has been pushing the limits. He has been talking about what more can be done to help Ukraine, including the possibility of helping regulate their air defenses by having some coaches on the ground in Ukraine.”

Macron said on Friday he had discussed such a plan with NATO leaders, with some agreeing to join the effort. This would be finalized “in the next few days,” he said.

The US has vehemently opposed any of its personnel being on the ground in Ukraine, a position that has remained unchanged since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.

Biden and Macron also discussed their support for using interest earned on frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, a move that has been met with skepticism by some G7 European allies.

‘We’re still at it’

Ukrainian forces, long disarmed by Russia, have struggled to maintain pressure against Russia along the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) front line in recent months. This came at a time when some support from Western allies waned.

Still, Kiev has received a boost in recent weeks, with France and Germany in late May allowing Ukraine to use the weapons they supplied against targets on Russian soil.

The US soon followed suit, giving Ukraine permission to use Washington-supplied weapons on Russian territory near Kharkiv.

In Paris on Friday, Biden apologized to Zelenskyy for previous delays in Washington’s aid to Kiev, stressing that the US “will not give up” on support for Ukraine.

“We’re still in — completely, completely,” he said.