WASHINGTON — President Biden on Wednesday assured Ukraine’s president that the United States remained opposed to “Russian aggression” in the region, using an Oval Office meeting to affirm his support for a leader unnerved by America’s chaotic exit from Afghanistan. The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine also allowed Mr. Biden to send a message to Russia that he was committed to standing by a strategic partner that Moscow has invaded. “The partnership between our nations grows stronger and its going to become even stronger,” Mr. Biden said, noting the two countries had a “similar value system” that included a commitment to a Europe that was “whole, free and at peace.”Despite a delay of a few days, due in part to the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, Mr. Zelensky finally got the Oval Office reception he had been seeking since his election in 2019. His earlier efforts to secure such a meeting with President Donald J. Trump led to Mr. Zelensky unwittingly becoming entangled in an international incident that led to Mr. Trump’s first impeachment trial.

Source: International New York Times September 01, 2021 21:45 UTC