On the evening of January 27, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with President of the United States of America Joseph Biden. This is the second conversation between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States since the beginning of the year, which demonstrates profound strategic cooperation between our countries and sets good dynamics for 2022.
One of the main topics of the conversation was the escalation of the situation on the border of Ukraine. The Presidents of Ukraine and the United States also discussed the results of the recent Normandy talks at the level of political advisers. Joseph Biden commended the agreement reached on an unconditional return to the ceasefire. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted Ukraine's readiness to hold a meeting in the Normandy format at the level of leaders in the near future.
Interestingly, Biden and Zelensky's telephone communication was not previously announced but a few hours before the negotiations.
The reaction of the Ukrainian side
After the negotiations, Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter that the conversation was long and serious issues regarding the de-escalation of the situation were raised.
“Had a long phone conversation with @POTUS. Discussed recent diplomatic efforts on de-escalation and agreed on joint actions for the future. Thanked President @JoeBiden for the ongoing military assistance. Possibilities for financial support to Ukraine were also discussed. The Ukrainian leader also noted that he spoke to Biden about joint actions for the future,” Zelensky tweeted.
The President expressed gratitude to the United States and personally to Joseph Biden for a strong and unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for the U.S. leadership in mobilizing the world community to deter Russian aggression.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the comment of the President of the United States on the importance of maintaining the U.S. diplomatic presence in Ukraine and assured of further stable work of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.
The Office of the President of Ukraine later reported that during the meeting Zelensky stressed the importance of supporting the economic and financial stability of Ukriane in the current situation. The leaders discussed concrete steps by the United States to increase financial support for Ukraine, both bilaterally and by involving international financial institutions.
White House reaction
The White House reaffirmed the readiness of the United States along with its allies and partners to respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.
According to the readout, Biden underscored the commitment of the United States to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and noted the United States has provided Ukraine with over half a billion dollars in development and humanitarian assistance in the last year and is exploring additional macroeconomic support to help Ukraine’s economy amidst pressure resulting from Russia’s military build-up.
President Biden also made clear that despite the departure of American family members of embassy personnel, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, remains open and fully operational.
“The leaders discussed coordinated diplomatic efforts on European security, underscoring the principle of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” President Biden relayed the United States’ support for conflict resolution efforts in the Normandy Format, expressing his hope that the sides’ recommitment on January 26 to the terms of the July 2020 ceasefire will help decrease tensions and advance the implementation of the Minsk Agreements,” the White House reported.
As was reported by Apostrophe, Joe Biden had previously declared his readiness to impose new sanctions against the Russian Federation in case of the further invasion of Ukraine.