Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday where Biden said that United States was "firmly committed" to Ukraine's territorial integrity and offered Kyiv $60 million in new security aid as it grapples with aggression from Moscow.
"The United States remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression," Biden said at the beginning of a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart in the Oval Office.
The meeting comes at a time when Russian president Vladimir Putin said, "The United States’ 20-year campaign in Afghanistan ended in tragedies and Washington achieved nothing, adding, "The US army’s attempt to ingrain their norms in Afghanistan was futile".
Speaking at a meeting with teenagers in the Russian far eastern city of Vladivostok to mark the start of the school year, he stated: “The only result is tragedies and losses for those who were doing that – for the United States – and especially for the people who live on the territory of Afghanistan. This is a zero result, if not negative.”
Biden eyes Ukraine for support
Zelenskyy’s meeting with Biden comes as the White House has to deal with the blowback over the swift takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the final withdrawal of the US troops from the country.
The meeting may help Biden to ease the scepticism among countries about whether they can still rely on the US to counter the most destabilising threats after the hurried exit from Afghanistan.
Biden stated that the US sided with Ukraine over the Russian aggression in Crimea.
"In the 21st century, nations cannot be allowed to redraw borders by force. Russia violated this ground rule in Ukraine," a joint statement read, later underscoring that "the United States does not and will never recognise Russia's purported annexation of Crimea."
Biden also said the US and Ukraine "have a similar value system."
Biden indicated that the US will "continue to support Ukraine as it advances its democratic reforms agenda and movement toward being completely integrated in Europe."
The two leaders have also announced new energy initiatives.
However, energy security is an awkward subject for the two leaders.
Ukraine still vehemently opposes the nearly completed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, which Kyiv views as a huge strategic win for the Kremlin.
Biden has said he opposes the massive project, and Washington has for years lobbied Berlin not to increase its energy dependence on Russia.
But in July, the Biden administration issued a joint statement with the German government essentially recognising that the pipeline was inevitable.
The statement was a diplomatic blow to Ukraine, which had hoped the US would use sanctions and other economic levers to effectively force Germany to abandon Nord Stream 2.
Putin eyes an opportunity
Since becoming president of Russia 21 years ago, Putin has sought to deprive Ukraine of its sovereignty and block its path towards integration with the European Union and NATO.
By destabilising Ukraine and even seizing some of its territory by force, Putin hopes to bring more pliable leaders to power in Kyiv that would enable Russia to force Ukraine back into Moscow’s sphere of influence.
Experts believe that Putin may be tempted to exploit this time, with the US struggling to cope with the debacle in Afghanistan, and stage a new provocation in Ukraine.
Additionally, Moscow has been cautiously optimistic about the new leadership in Kabul, saying it would not meddle in domestic affairs.
Putin’s special representative on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that Russia was ready to help rebuild Afghanistan’s economy and that Western nations should not freeze the Afghan government’s financial assets.
America needs to step up
The US has to step up when it comes to its ties with Ukraine as a means to limit Russia's power on the global map.
Ensuring Ukraine’s security increases the prospects that future Russian leaders will pursue a more constructive policy toward Ukraine and pose less of a threat to international security in general.
It also helps America to assert itself in Central Asia politics which will see a turn of events owing to the Taliban's takeover and how they react to its neighbours, including Putin-run Moscow.
With inputs from agencies
Via Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/2Nairz4
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