Biden prepares a trip to Europe to “intensify” aid to Ukraine

the president of United States, Joe Bidenwill visit Europe next week to strengthen its cooperation with the NATO and the European Union (EU) before the war in Ukrainewhile promising to “intensify” aid to that country.

SIGHT: War in Ukraine: Russian troops take 400 people hostage in a Mariupol hospital

The White House announced on Tuesday that Biden will be in Brussels on Thursday, March 24, when he will participate in an extraordinary summit recently convened by NATO and also in another meeting of European Union (EU) leaders that was already scheduled.

• Biden goes to NATO to reaffirm US ‘iron commitment’ to allies, says White House
• Russia sanctions Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau and prohibits them from entering the country
• The US warns China that there will be “consequences” if it helps Russia militarily

POSSIBILITY OF OTHER STOPS

The White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, did not rule out that the president may also visit other European countries, stressing that the details of what will be Biden’s third trip to Europe since he came to power are still being finalized, and the first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Although Psaki did not confirm rumors that Biden might visit Poland, he made it clear that the president is interested in “the aspect of the refugee crisis” that is taking place in Eastern Europe as a result of the war in Ukraine.

During his participation in the extraordinary NATO summit in Brussels, Biden will “reaffirm the strong commitment” of the US with its allies in the organization, the spokeswoman explained during her daily press conference.

It will do so at a time when NATO is evaluating a “substantial increase” in its forces and equipment prepositioned on the Alliance’s eastern flank, an issue that the organization’s defense ministers hope to agree on Wednesday.

In his visit to Brussels, Biden will also address “deterrence and defense efforts to respond” to the Russian invasion and “humanitarian support to those affected by the violence,” the spokeswoman added.

MORE AID TO UKRAINE

Biden praised precisely this Tuesday the humanitarian aid that his government has provided to Ukraine, by signing a new budget law that includes 13.6 billion dollars in military and economic assistance for that country and for Eastern Europe.

“We will be able to rapidly intensify our response and help alleviate the suffering that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war is causing in the Ukrainian people and in the region,” Biden promised during an act at the White House.

The president, who did not refer to his plan to travel to Europe, acknowledged that it is “extremely difficult to get supplies to Ukraine while the Russian attacks continue”, but said that more and more is being “achieved”.

He added that tomorrow, Wednesday, he will give more details on how US aid to Ukraine and Eastern Europe is working, something he plans to do after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks virtually before both houses of the US Congress. USA

Psaki acknowledged that Zelensky is likely to “ask for more money” to deal with the Russian invasion, which has lasted almost three weeks and has caused at least three million people to flee Ukraine, so -according to Unicef- every second a Ukrainian boy becomes a refugee.

DIFFERENCES ON MILITARY AID

In addition to the funds, Zelensky has insisted on several requests for military aid, which Biden is reluctant to authorize, among which the imposition of a no-fly zone to stop Russian bombing of cities stands out.

The Ukrainian president made that request again on Tuesday during a speech delivered virtually before the Canadian Parliament, and Biden’s spokeswoman made it clear again that this option is not on the table, due to the high risk of military escalation that it would entail.

“(Biden) continues to believe that a no-fly zone could lead us to war with Russia. I don’t think there’s much support for that idea right now (in Congress),” Psaki said Tuesday.

The United States also last week canceled a plan for Poland to hand over its Soviet-made planes to Ukraine, saying it could provoke a reaction from Russia that could lead to a military escalation with NATO.

The White House has, however, defended the size of its military aid to Ukraine, which amounts to $1.2 billion so far this year and includes the shipment of Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles from Poland and Romania.

On the other hand, the United States announced sanctions on Tuesday against eleven senior defense officials of the Russian Government and Army, and minimized the fact that Moscow imposed travel restrictions on the president of the United States, Joe Biden, and other senior American officials.

“It will not surprise anyone to learn that none of us are planning tourist trips to Russia and none of us have bank accounts that we will not be able to access,” said Psaki, who is among those sanctioned.

He also joked that Russia seemed to be wrong when writing Biden’s name on its sanctions list, because he did not include the nickname “Junior” that distinguishes him from his late father: “Your father may have been sanctioned,” he said.

• Why isn’t Western aid to Ukraine enough for Zelensky?
• US approves new military aid for Ukraine for 200 million dollars
• Joe Biden: “Confrontation between NATO and Russia would provoke World War III”
• Biden, the G7 and the European Union decide to exclude Russia from international trade
• US Congress Approves $14 Billion Budget for Ukraine

Source: Elcomercio

Deshawn