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Leaders underscored their continued assist for Ukraine, together with by offering safety help.
Washington:
President Joe Biden and European allies mentioned Russia’s “brutal” struggle in Ukraine on Monday, kicking off a vital week within the Western standoff with Moscow that can see Biden go to Poland after attending NATO and EU summits.
Biden hosted the decision, lasting slightly below one hour, with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson “to debate their coordinated responses,” the White Home mentioned.
“The leaders mentioned their critical considerations about Russia’s brutal ways in Ukraine, together with its assaults on civilians,” a White Home assertion mentioned.
“They underscored their continued assist for Ukraine, together with by offering safety help to the courageous Ukrainians who’re defending their nation from Russian aggression, and humanitarian help to the tens of millions of Ukrainians who’ve fled,” it mentioned.
On Wednesday, Biden will depart on probably the most momentous overseas journey of his presidency to this point. He attends the dual summits on Thursday in Brussels, then meets President Andrzej Duda in Poland, on the frontline of the West’s confrontation with Russia, Saturday.
Russia’s struggle is about to enter its second month, and US and Western allies have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow, crippling the ruble and inventory market, whereas going after President Vladimir Putin’s rich supporters.
On the bottom in Ukraine, Western-supplied weapons, backed by years of coaching and funding, have helped the nation’s army to bloody the Russian invaders on a number of fronts.
White Home Press Secretary Jen Psaki mentioned that Biden’s mission was to ensure the West maintains closed ranks.
“Unity has been entrance and middle for the president,” Psaki mentioned. “Unity with our European counterparts, unity amongst NATO, unity among the many G7. And that does not occur by chance. And so, popping out of this what the president is hoping to attain is sustained coordination and a unified response to the continued escalatory actions of Putin.”
Nevertheless, with the struggle beginning to seem like a stalemate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is making more and more determined appeals for the West to do extra.
– Exhausting selections –
What these extra steps may very well be stays removed from apparent.
One huge gap within the sanctions regime is China, the world’s second largest financial system. Beijing is refusing even to sentence ally Russia and a virtually two-hour discuss between Biden and his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday appeared to end in no change.
Whereas the sanctions have despatched extreme shockwaves by Russia’s financial system, US and particularly European economies — which rely closely on Russian vitality imports — are likewise weak.
The USA and Britain have already introduced their very own bans on Russian oil imports. A wider ban by EU international locations would mark an enormous escalation hurting Moscow — but additionally Western shoppers.
Brent North Sea crude traded at $114.55 a barrel early Monday and earlier this month hit $139, up from about $79 in the beginning of the 12 months.
A broad oil embargo “will hit everybody,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned.
Neither is there a straightforward path to considerably upgrading Ukraine’s army.
Zelensky is pleading for extra highly effective instruments past the efficient however restricted anti-tank rockets and Stinger missiles used to hit low flying plane.
However Biden has firmly rejected Zelensky’s requires a NATO-imposed no-fly zone, saying this might require the US to go to struggle in opposition to Russia.
The alliance has additionally stumbled over a failed push by Poland to ship Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine by a US air base. Once more, Washington mentioned this might threat Russia declaring that NATO had actively entered the struggle.
Now, there’s rising dialogue about furnishing Ukraine with one other piece of Russian-origin know-how — the S-300 anti-aircraft system. This might be a step up for Ukraine’s defenders, as a result of the missiles can hit planes at excessive altitude.
Slovakia says it’s keen to offer the system it has in its arsenal to Ukraine, however provided that NATO offers a alternative for its personal protection.
One factor Biden will not be doing this week, the White Home says, is making a visit to Kyiv himself.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, together with the Czech and Slovenian prime ministers, traveled to the embattled capital final week. However “there aren’t any plans to journey into Ukraine,” Psaki mentioned, citing safety considerations.
There’s hypothesis, nonetheless, that Biden may meet with a few of the practically 3.5 million refugees who’ve fled Ukraine whereas he is in Poland.
Psaki mentioned that the refugee challenge can be “a key element” of his journey.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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