The White House announced on Tuesday that President Joe Biden plans to travel to Europe next week as the war continues between Russia and Ukraine.
White House spokesman Jen Psaki told reporters that the president will attend the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium on March 24, “to respond to Russia’s provocative and unjustified attacks on Ukraine. Discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts for the purpose. “
Saki said Biden will also attend the European Council Summit to discuss humanitarian aid to Ukraine and efforts to impose sanctions on Russia, and the White House is still “working on the final details of the trip.” Added.
“His goal is to meet directly with his European counterparts to discuss and evaluate where we are at this point in the conflict in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Pusaki. “We have been incredibly tuned so far. It’s no coincidence. The president has a great deal of faith in face-to-face diplomacy, so it’s an opportunity to do just that.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted on Tuesday. “I held an extraordinary summit at #NATO headquarters on March 24. We # Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense. North America and Europe must continue to work together during this critical time. “
The war between Russia and Ukraine has continued since Russia invaded Ukraine about three weeks ago.
Peace talks between the delegations of the two countries resumed on Tuesday after being suspended on Monday, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikairo Podriak.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will effectively speak before the US Parliament on Wednesday and is expected to re-call the United States to supply Ukraine with fighters and impose a no-fly zone on Ukraine. Biden and NATO leaders have repeatedly warned against taking these steps to avoid a military conflict with Russia.
Zelensky acknowledged on Tuesday that his country must accept that it will not be a member of the NATO military alliance, which is Russia’s serious concern used to justify the aggression.
The United States and its allies have imposed sanctions on Russia’s financial system and individuals within Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. The United States has also banned Russia’s oil imports, ending Russia’s normal trade position with the other seven (G7) countries, making Russia more difficult to trade with the West.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that it has added a list of top US officials, Biden and others, to the “stop list.”
The United States provided Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance, including $ 13.6 billion approved by Congress.
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Nick Ciolino covers the White House.