U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky are preparing for their second meeting in a week, coinciding with the G7 summit starting Wednesday in Italy.
According to The Hill, Biden and Zelensky are scheduled to meet again on Thursday, marking their second gathering in seven days while Biden is abroad.
“Our commitment to Ukraine will remain prominent and clear at the G-7 meeting later this week,” White House spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters before Biden’s departure.
“We will take decisive actions to demonstrate to Mr. Putin that time is not on his side, and he cannot outlast us as we support Ukraine’s struggle for freedom.”
Biden will skip a Ukraine peace summit on Saturday in Switzerland to return for a major fundraiser in California hosted by Hollywood actor George Clooney, as reported by Truth Voices.
Meanwhile, Zelensky is preparing to lead the peace summit, expected to include appeals for additional aid. He recently made an urgent request for more air defense systems and financial support to rebuild Ukraine’s devastated energy infrastructure during a speech at a Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin.
Zelensky emphasized the need for at least seven additional U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense missile systems to protect major cities from frequent Russian airstrikes.
Vice President Kamala Harris will represent Biden at the peace summit in Switzerland.
