Biden to Focus Remaining Term on Strengthening Ukraine’s Position
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to dedicate the final months of his presidency to ensuring Ukraine is in the strongest position possible to prevail in its ongoing war with Russia, a close adviser revealed on Saturday.
Speaking remotely at a forum in Kyiv, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that Biden will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in late September during the U.N. General Assembly in New York to discuss continued U.S. support for Ukraine.
“President Zelenskyy has said this war must eventually end through negotiations, and we need Ukraine to be strong in those negotiations,” Sullivan said, emphasizing that Ukraine will decide the timing of any potential talks with Russia.
Biden’s term concludes in January 2025, with his successor likely to be either Vice President Kamala Harris, who has pledged to maintain support for Ukraine, or former President Donald Trump, who has been ambiguous about his stance on Ukraine’s victory.
The announcement of the Biden-Zelenskyy meeting follows a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine earlier Saturday, brokered by the UAE. Both sides exchanged 103 prisoners each, with some of the Ukrainian prisoners held since the siege of the Azovstal steel plant in 2022.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced the return of 103 soldiers, while Russia confirmed the release of an equal number of Russian servicemen, who are now receiving medical and psychological care in Belarus.
Despite the ongoing conflict, prisoner exchanges between the two nations have been frequent, often facilitated by mediators like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or Turkey. This latest swap comes just weeks after a similar exchange of 115 prisoners each.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to make gains in eastern Ukraine. Moscow claims to have captured the village of Zhelanne Pershe, located less than 30 kilometers from the strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk, a key target for Russian advances. The city has seen more than half of its population flee since the invasion began in 2022, with evacuations increasing as Russian forces close in.
Ukraine’s cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region last month had been aimed at slowing Moscow’s offensive in the east, but Russian forces continue to press forward.
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