Biden meets Ukrainian FM, Defense Minister in Warsaw
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Warsaw, Poland hosted the United States and Ukraine for meetings in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, in which Washington and Kiev discussed various issues, including the latter pleading for more military aid.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, US President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Warsaw, Poland, March 26, 2022
US President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian officials in the Polish capital, Warsaw, on Saturday, accompanied by his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and his Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin.
The meeting took place with the Ukrainian counterpart of the delegation that accompanied Biden, Dmytro Kuleba, and Oleksii Reznikov, respectively, at the Marriott Hotel to discuss certain issues related to the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine has been pressuring its western ally and NATO to intervene against Russia and pump more weapons and assistance to Kiev, and these calls have even included calls from President Zelensky for the West to impose a no-fly zone over his country, which Brussels and Washington dismissed several times, citing the fact that this could lead to a war with Moscow.
"We are meeting our US counterpart [Blinken and Austin] in Warsaw together with [Reznikov]. This special 2+2 format allows us to seek practical decisions in both political and defense spheres in order to fortify Ukraine’s ability to fight back Russian aggression," Kiev's Kuleba said on Twitter.
We are meeting our U.S. counterparts @SecBlinken and @SecDef in Warsaw together with @oleksiireznikov. This special 2+2 format allows us to seek practical decisions in both political and defense spheres in order to fortify Ukraine’s ability to fight back Russian aggression. pic.twitter.com/5qlUXtwqXS
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 26, 2022
This is the first meeting between US and Ukrainian officials since the start of the crisis, as the last meeting was between Biden and Kuleba in Washington just two days before the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
Following the Western dismissal of the Ukrainian requests, Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky's office, said the Kiev regime was very disappointed. "We expect more bravery. Expected some bold decisions. The alliance has taken decisions as if there's no war."
The same man had made an admission that establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine as Russia's special military operation in the country continues could potentially lead to a direct war between the Russian Federation and NATO.
Russia has for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's attempts to expand eastward, which happened simultaneously with an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders, and batches of lethal weapons being sent to Ukraine, prompting Russia to request security guarantees from the West. Washington failed to provide the guarantees.
