@cspanofficial: President Biden apologized Friday to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the monthslong gap in U.S. funding for his country amid its war with Russia. “I apologize for those weeks of not knowing,” the president said at the beginning of their bilateral meeting in Paris. “Some of our very conservative members [of Congress] were holding it up. But we got it done, finally.” It was the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since December when President Zelensky traveled to Washington, DC, to lobby Republican lawmakers to get a new aid package across the finish line. After vacillating for months, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) agreed in April to bring a foreign aid package to the House floor that included $61 billion in support for Ukraine. “We’re still in completely, thoroughly,” President Biden said as he announced a new $225 million tranche in funding to rebuild Ukraine’s electric grid, which has been repeatedly targeted by Russian forces. President Zelensky thanked the U.S. for the support and drew a parallel between his country’s fight against Russia and the Allies’ resolve in defeating Nazi Germany during World War II. “It’s very important that in this unity, United States of America, all American people stay with Ukraine like it was during World War II,” he said. “How the United States helped to save human lives, to save Europe. And we count on your continuing support in standing with us shoulder to shoulder.” The leaders were in France for commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which began the Allies’ liberation of Western Europe. They will also attend the G7 summit next week in Italy where leaders are hoping to finalize an agreement to use frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine. #potus #joebiden #ukrainewar #volodymyrzelensky #zelensky #cspan

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Friday 07 June 2024 17:50:07 GMT