President Joe Biden will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House next week, according to a person familiar with the plans.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House next week, according to a person familiar with the plans.
The two leaders last met in May in Hiroshima, Japan, when the Ukrainian President joined the leaders of the Group of Seven nations for their annual summit. This will be the second time Zelenskiy visits the White House. He was last in Washington in December 2022. The Ukrainian leader will first travel to New York at the beginning of next week for the United Nations General Assembly, the person familiar with his plans said.
The war in Ukraine has been dragging on for a year and a half, with no end in sight. Zelenskiy has been asking for continued support from the US, including long-range missiles that the Biden administration is reportedly considering providing.
For the US president, it also coincides with an upcoming showdown over federal funding. Biden has asked Congress to provide $24 billion for the Ukraine war and related costs, but conservatives in the House are threatening to shut down the US government if they consider any funding bill a “blank check” for Ukraine. Current funding for government operations runs through Sept. 20.
Next week’s meeting was first reported by Reuters.
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