Biden "July Summit with Ukrainian President"... Plans to Meet Putin First

Request to Meet Before Putin Rejected
Concerns Over Possible Breakdown of Summit with Russia

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The White House announced that U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in July. Earlier, President Zelensky requested to meet with President Biden before the summit between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for the 16th, but Biden reportedly declined, which is expected to spark domestic and international controversy.

On the 7th (local time), Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, said at a press briefing held at the White House that "President Biden and President Zelensky had a phone call today and discussed holding a summit between the two leaders at the White House in July," adding, "President Biden looks forward to welcoming him after completing the summit with President Putin and his European tour." He also added, "President Biden told President Zelensky that he firmly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the aspirations of the Ukrainian government."

President Zelensky also expressed gratitude to President Biden via Twitter for inviting him to the White House in July, stating, "I look forward to discussing ways to expand strategic cooperation between Ukraine and the United States during this summit." He further expressed thanks for the U.S. providing 900,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, emphasizing, "It will save many lives of the Ukrainian people."

On the surface, the phone call between the two leaders appeared amicable, but it is presumed that there was strong protest regarding the summit between President Biden and President Putin during the call. According to CNN, President Zelensky requested to meet with President Biden before his meeting with President Putin during the call, but Biden reportedly declined.

Earlier, on the 4th, in an exclusive interview with the U.S. internet media Axios, President Zelensky had requested President Biden to meet with him before the U.S.-Russia summit. In the interview, President Zelensky strongly criticized the Biden administration, saying, "It was very shocking and disappointing that the U.S. abandoned sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany."

The U.S. political media The Hill analyzed, "President Biden’s phone call with President Zelensky before his European tour showed U.S. support for Ukraine, but not meeting him before the summit with President Putin despite Zelensky’s request suggests concerns that the summit might fall apart." According to The Hill, senior Biden administration officials are reportedly trying to minimize other variables due to concerns that the summit with President Putin could be canceled amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.