Status: 02.09.2021 12:23 a.m.
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Military aid in the millions and a pledge of assistance: US President Biden made these two pledges to his counterpart Zelenskyj from Ukraine at a meeting. There was also agreement on the subject of Nord Stream 2.
US President Joe Biden has again assured Ukraine that it will protect itself from Russian attacks. “The United States remains firmly committed to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression,” Biden said at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
“The partnership between our countries is getting stronger,” said Biden. Support the “Euro-Atlantic” efforts of Ukraine. Zelenskyi thanked Biden for new US military aid worth $ 60 million. “We appreciate this contribution,” said the president, referring to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the massive tensions with Russia.
Next gas transit through Ukraine
Selenskyj was also “very concerned” about the approaching commissioning of the controversial Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2, which is supposed to bring Russian gas past Ukraine to Germany. Biden and Selenskyj are united in their rejection of the project. The US President is of the opinion that Germany and Europe with the pipeline are becoming increasingly dependent on Russia and are damaging the gas transit country Ukraine.
In a joint statement following the White House meeting, the US and Ukraine underlined their continued opposition to the pipeline. It was “a threat to Europe’s energy security,” it said. The US pledged to work to ensure that Ukraine remains a transit country for Russian gas.
However, Biden had stated that he could not prevent the completion of the pipeline and did not want to burden the relationship with Germany with sanctions. He waived sanctions against the operating company Nord Stream 2 AG and its German managing director. In June, Washington and Berlin settled their dispute over Nord Stream 2 and agreed that gas transit through Ukraine should be contractually secured for the long term.
Accession to NATO is not an option
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, demanded in the newspaper “Die Welt” on Wednesday that in return for the completion of the pipeline, Ukraine had to be admitted to NATO quickly. “Ukraine doesn’t need any assurances, but concrete, binding security guarantees from the USA and Germany, ideally within the framework of swift NATO membership.”
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US does not decide who will join NATO. However, they supported the efforts of aspirants to meet NATO standards. Biden himself sees no quick path for Ukraine to join the Western military alliance. The USA and Western European countries do not want to provoke Russia.
For more than seven years, Ukrainian government troops have been fighting against Moscow-backed separatists in areas in the east of the country. According to UN estimates, more than 13,000 people have been killed since then.
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