Volodymyr Zelenskyy Hopes Joe Biden Will Give 'Specific' Answer on Supporting Ukraine's NATO Bid
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he hopes President Joe Biden will give a "specific" answer on whether he supports Ukraine's bid for future NATO membership, the Associated Press reported.
Zelenskyy's comments were made ahead of Biden's scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Geneva amid Russia's ongoing tensions with the Ukraine where Russia-backed separatist rebels now control a region in the country's east. Russia strictly opposes the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.
"I would really like to get specific—yes or no," Zelenskyy said to the Associated Press and other foreign news agencies about whether Biden supports Ukraine joining NATO in the future. "I understand that this should be the agreed position of the alliance countries. Nevertheless, we must get clear dates and the likelihood of this for Ukraine."
Biden invited Zelenskyy to a meeting in July to discuss relations between the U.S. and Ukraine but Zelenskyy said he is disappointed the meeting is taking place after Biden and Putin meet.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below:
Zelenskyy says he's concerned that this week's U.S.-Russia summit will not produce concrete results and will leave his country in an uncertain position.
"I believe that this would only have been a plus in the negotiating position of the U.S. President," Zelenskyy said Monday about being disappointed he was not able to have a meeting with Biden before he meets with Putin.
Ukraine is eager for strong support from the West as it faces Russia-backed separatist rebels who have taken control of a large section of the country's east.
"The No. 1 concern is that there will be no specifics," Zelenskyy said of the Geneva summit. "And the situation in Ukraine depends on this very, very much...Everyone is afraid of solutions to the most difficult issues, final solutions."
Russia denies it has troops in eastern Ukraine, but it sparked high anxiety this spring with exercises that placed thousands of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine's rebel-held region. Zelenskyy said although some of those forces have been pulled back, about 95,000 remain.
"The likelihood of an escalation remains," he said, claiming without proof Russia is planning offensives to take the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the second-largest city of Kharkiv and the major Black Sea port of Odessa.
A NATO membership for Ukraine would bring the alliance close to western Russia.
The Ukrainian president said he intends to talk during his meeting with Biden about U.S. military and economic support, which Ukraine relies on.
"The United States has the opportunity to really support Ukraine economically. It's not only about money, but about investments, about the opening of various enterprises," Zelenskyy said.
