US President Biden To Visit Europe As War Rages
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/KYIV (Worthy News) – U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Europe next week for face-to-face talks with European leaders about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
Biden will meet with leaders of the NATO military alliance and Europe leaders in Brussels on March 24.
The trip follows Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to the eastern flank of NATO countries Poland and Romania last week to discuss the growing refugee crisis in eastern Europe and security worries.
Biden is expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, the White House confirmed.
More than 3 million have now fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations, with over 1.8 million arriving in neighboring Poland. Its prime minister and those of Slovenia and the Czech Republic were in Kyiv on Tuesday to show solidarity.
In Kyiv, around half of the 3.4 million residents have fled, and some spend nights sheltering in metro stations amid ongoing overnight shelling.
Local authorities said Tuesday’s bombardments on Kyiv killed at least five people as buildings were set ablaze and people were buried under rubble. Russia denies targeting civilians.
Despite the fierce clashes, Ukrainian officials appeared guarded optimistic the war could end sooner than expected, possibly by May. They said Moscow might be coming to terms with its failure to impose a new government by force and running out of fresh troops.
“The meetings continue, and, I am informed, the positions during the negotiations already sound more realistic. But time is still needed for the decisions to be in the interests of Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address on Wednesday, ahead of the next round of talks.
He had earlier said he would no longer seek membership of the NATO military alliance, meeting a key demand from Moscow.
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