Biden meets with allies to review Ukraine war

 

US President Joe Biden is on Tuesday (19) in a virtual meeting on the Russian offensive in Ukraine with his key allies - announced the White House, at a time when Russia is launching dozens of attacks in the east through the Donbass.

The video conference began before 10:00 am local time and brings together the leaders of France, Emmanuel Macron; the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson; Germany, Olaf Scholz; Romania, Klaus Iohannis; Poland, Andrzej Duda; Italy, Mario Draghi; Canada, Justin Trudeau; and Japan, Fumio Kishida.

The secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, and the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, respectively, are also participating in the virtual meeting, the White House reported.

With them, President Biden will discuss "continued support for Ukraine and efforts to hold Russia accountable," a US official told AFP.

Campaigning for re-election, Macron had anticipated yesterday that he would discuss with his colleagues "the issue of sanctions" against Russia.

When asked Monday about the announcement of possible new U.S. sanctions, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington will "strengthen" them as long as Russia continues "its campaign against Ukraine."

This meeting comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia began a major offensive yesterday in the east of his country. The region has become the new strategic target of Moscow's forces, following its withdrawal from the Kiev region. Part of this Ukrainian territory has been in the hands of pro-Russian separatist forces since 2014.