US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive to hold a press conference at the White House in Washington, DC, December 12, 2023. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — US President Joe Biden will meet with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in Normandy, France, this week and then again at the G7 meeting in Italy to discuss Kyiv’s fight against Russia, the White House said Tuesday.
The double show of support comes after Biden faced criticism for saying he would skip an upcoming Ukrainian peace summit in Switzerland to attend an election fundraiser featuring Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts instead.
While in Normandy for the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings this week, Biden will “have the opportunity to sit down with President Zelensky” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling to Paris.
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“He’ll have an engagement with him to talk about the state of play in Ukraine and how we can continue and deepen our support for Ukraine,” Sullivan said.
Biden is also set to see Zelensky again at the meeting of the Group of Seven leading economies in Bari, Italy, from June 13-15, which will focus on using frozen Russian funds to support Ukraine’s war effort, he said.
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“So, in the course of a little more than a week, the president will have two substantive engagements with President Zelensky,” Sullivan said.
Biden is not however attending the Ukraine summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, immediately after the G7. Zelensky has said a no-show would boost Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US Vice President Kamala Harris and Sullivan will attend the Swiss summit instead.