Biden: The United States Is Exploring Additional Support to Ukraine

The US President assured the head of the Ukrainian state Zelensky of Washington's support "if Russia further invades Ukraine." The United States is exploring additional macroeconomic support to help Ukraine's economy amidst pressure resulting from Russia's military build-up on the Ukrainian border. This was stated by US President Joe Biden in a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, January 27. This phone conversation between the two presidents was the second in January and the third in the last two months. Biden recalled that over the past year the United States had already provided Ukraine with more than half a billion dollars in humanitarian and development assistance. According to the White House press service, the American president also assured Zelensky that Washington along with its allies and partners are ready to "respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine." On implementing the Minsk agreements In addition, the US president said that Washington supports efforts to resolve conflict around Ukraine in the "Normandy format". He expressed hope that the parties' recommitment on January 26 to the terms of the July 2020 ceasefire will contribute to de-escalation and help implement the Minsk agreements. For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter that the topic of his conversation with Biden was, among other things, "recent diplomatic efforts on de-escalation" (the conflict around Ukraine. - Ed.) and possibilities for financial support to Ukraine. The situation on the border of Russia and Ukraine The situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border began to escalate in October 2021, when Russian troops were reported to amass near the region. According to Western experts, up to 100,000 Russian troops are deployed near Ukrainian borders. The US State Department does not exclude that Russia may invade Ukraine in early 2022. The United States and other Western countries have threatened the Russian Federation with the toughest sanctions in the event of such a scenario. Moscow denies reports about the impending invasion of Ukraine and, for its part, accuses NATO of arming Kiev and conducting maneuvers near the Russian borders. DW