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President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke Tuesday to reaffirm their shared commitment to continue providing security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing war against the country, and hailed the imposition of “heavy costs” on Moscow.
The White House said leaders discussed Johnson’s recent visit to Ukraine on Tuesday.
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“President Joseph R. Biden Jr. today spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Ukraine,” the White House said on Tuesday.
Johnson traveled to Kyiv over the weekend. He was seen in videos shared by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry walking the streets of the capital alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and speaking to locals.
“Leaders reiterated their commitment to continue providing security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing atrocities,” the White House continued. “They also welcomed ongoing cooperation with allies and partners to impose heavy costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified war.”
President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meet during a bilateral meeting ahead of the G-7 summit Thursday, June 10, 2021 in Carbis Bay, England. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The White House said Monday it is “not currently planning a trip” for Biden to visit Ukraine, instead focusing on “accelerating weapons” and deploying military support and security systems to the country amid the multi-crisis that has spanned more than two months Russia – Front War.
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“I will not be having private conversations,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “What I will tell you is that we are not currently planning a trip by the President of the United States to Ukraine.”
“What matters most to the Ukrainian leadership is that we accelerate weapons and give them the support and security systems they need,” Psaki added.
The President traveled to Warsaw, Poland last month following an emergency NATO summit.
On the left, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walk the streets of Kyiv. (Twitter/@BorisJohnson)
During his visit, Biden said, “They will not let me cross the border into Ukraine.”
“Part of my disappointment is that I can’t see it firsthand like I’ve done in other places,” Biden said last month, referring to the humanitarian crisis and devastation in Ukraine.
“They understandably won’t let me cross the border and see what’s going on in Ukraine,” Biden said.
It’s unclear who Biden was referring to, but the president is unlikely to travel to Ukraine for security reasons.
Last month Prime Ministers Mateusz Moravetsky of Poland, Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic and Janez Jansa of Slovenia traveled to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal.
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Meanwhile, the White House said Monday it intends to return its diplomatic presence to Kyiv “over time.”
“We need to gauge when exactly is the right time to do that,” Psaki said, noting that she had no “prediction” as to when that would be.
“Obviously it is in our interest to have a diplomatic presence on the ground, but that is a State Department assessment made through the prism of security considerations,” she said.
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However, Psaki asserted that the “most important thing” the United States “has done and continues to do” is “to lead the entire global coalition, to rise up against Russia and make sure we provide military security assistance, accelerate it by… not just our own resources, but the resources of countries around the world and leading the world in a package of economic sanctions.”
Security aid continues to flow unabated to Ukraine, and senior defense officials told Fox News last week that “everything we do in relation to Ukraine is expedited — everything.”
The Biden administration announced $300 million in security and deadly aid earlier this month, separate from the $800 million previously approved. The additional aid will be used to buy weapons from defense contractors, an official said.