PARIS — US President Joe Biden will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Friday as kyiv’s military endures its toughest days of fighting since the first weeks of war with Russia and prepares for what officials say could be a difficult summer ahead.
The United States is by far the largest provider of wartime support to kyiv, and Ukraine is trying to defend itself from an intense russian offensive in the eastern parts of the country. The advance is focused on the Ukrainian border regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, but Ukrainian officials say it could spread further as the larger Russian military seeks to press its advantage.
The offensive seeks to exploit ammunition and troop shortages in kyiv along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.
That weapons shortfall came after U.S. military aid was delayed in Congress for six months before Biden signed a $61 billion bill into law in April. military aid package for Ukraine.
Amid Russia’s latest attack and with Ukraine’s military reeling, some NATO allies, including the United States, said last week they would allow Ukraine to use weapons they hand over to kyiv. carry out limited attacks inside Russia.
That move sparked a furious response from the Kremlin, which warned that Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II could spiral out of control.
Biden and Zelenskyy attended the 80th anniversary events on D-Day in Normandy, northern France, on Thursday, alongside European leaders who have supported kyiv’s war efforts.
Biden fiance “We will not walk away” from Ukraine, drawing a direct line between the fight to liberate Europe from Nazi domination and the current war against Russian aggression.
Ukraine describes its fight against Kremlin forces as a clash between Western democratic freedom and Russian tyranny. Russia says it is defending itself against a threatening eastward expansion of the NATO military alliance.
The United States will send around 225 million dollars in military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Thursday. The new package includes ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as mortar systems and a number of artillery projectiles, officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will provide Ukraine with its Mirage fighter jet.
Macron has been a strong supporter of Ukraine. He said in February that sending Western troops to Ukraine was not “discarded”.
Zelenskyy began a day of meetings in Paris on Friday with an official welcome ceremony at the gold-domed Invalides monument, the site of Napoleon’s tomb.
During the day, Zelenskyy was scheduled to visit the arms manufacturer Nexter in Versailles, which makes the Caesar self-propelled howitzers that France, among other weapons, is providing to kyiv’s forces.
He was also due to deliver a speech to the National Assembly, which is the lower house of the French parliament, and meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace.
Zelenskyy’s trips abroad are aimed at keeping Ukraine’s plight in the public eye, securing more military aid for its fight against the Russian invasion, and securing long-term Western support through bilateral alliances.
France and Ukraine signed a 10-year agreement in February bilateral security agreement. Zelenskyy has since signed similar bilateral agreements with many European countries.
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