PARIS (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden was expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Friday as Kiev’s army endures its heaviest days of fighting since the first weeks of the war with Russia and prepares for what it says officials could be an uphill battle. summer ahead.
The United States is by far Kiev’s largest provider of war aid, and Ukraine is trying to fend off an intense Russian offensive in eastern parts of the country. The pressure is focused on Ukraine’s border regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, but Ukrainian officials say it could spread further as Russia’s larger military looks to show its advantage.
The offensive aims to exploit Kiev’s shortage of ammunition and troops along the approximately 1,000 kilometer long front line.
That weapons shortage came after US military aid was held up in Congress for six months before Biden signed a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine into law in April.
Amid Russia’s latest attack and with Ukraine’s military reeling, some NATO allies, including the US, said last week they would allow Ukraine to use the weapons they supply to Kiev to carry out limited attacks inside Russia to be carried out.
The move prompted an angry 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 of D-Day in Normandy, northern France, on Thursday, along with European leaders who have supported Kiev’s efforts in the war.
Biden pledged “we will not walk away” from Ukraine, drawing a direct line from the struggle to liberate Europe from Nazi rule to 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 threatened eastern expansion of the NATO military alliance.
The US will send about $225 million in military aid to Ukraine, US officials said on Thursday. The new package includes ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as mortar systems and a range of artillery rounds, officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will supply Ukraine with its Mirage fighter jets.
Macron was an outspoken supporter of Ukraine. He said in February that placing Western troops in Ukraine is not “out of the question.”
Zelenskyy kicked off a day of meetings in Paris on Friday with an official welcome ceremony at the golden-domed Invalides monument, site of Napoleon’s grave.
During the day, Zelenskyy was scheduled to visit the arms manufacturer Nexter in Versailles, which makes the Caesar self-propelled howitzers that France supplies to Kiev’s armed forces, among other weapons.
He was also scheduled to deliver a speech to the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, and meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
Zelenskyy’s foreign trips are intended to keep Ukraine’s plight in public attention, secure more military aid to fight the Russian invasion and secure long-term Western support through bilateral alliances.
France and Ukraine signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement in February. Zelenskyy has since signed similar bilateral agreements with many European countries.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
