U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attend a bilateral meeting, during NATO’s 75th anniversary summit, in Washington, U.S., July 11, 2024. REUTERS
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed on Friday Washington’s support for Ukraine, new U.S. sanctions against Russia and boosting Ukrainian air defenses, Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy, in a social media post, thanked Biden for Washington’s support in Ukraine’s nearly three-year war with Russia and for “the vital role the United States has played in uniting the international community”.
Zelenskiy said the presidents also discussed new U.S. sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, “which helps (Russian President Vladimir) Putin bankroll the war”.
“He must feel the cost of his war by seeing it directly impact his own pockets,” he wrote.
Zelenskiy said he and Biden discussed the need to keep building up Ukraine’s air defenses “to protect lives in Ukrainian cities and villages from Russian terror – daily missile and drone attacks”.
U.S.-supplied Patriot missiles, he said, “have proven their effectiveness, and we must continue to enhance this capacity”.
Reporting by Jeff Mason and Ron Popeski; Writing by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Rod Nickel
