Zelensky Wants a Clear 'Yes' or 'No' from Biden

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seeking a clear 'yes' or 'no' from his American counterpart Joe Biden regarding the provision of NATO membership plans for Ukraine. In a joint interview with Reuters, Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, Zelensky stated that he received assurances that Biden would not use Ukraine as a bargaining chip in this week's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He called on the U.S. to provide economic support to Ukraine and urged Biden and the International Monetary Fund to understand Ukraine's issues before imposing 'unfair' reform demands on his presidency. Last week, Biden and Zelensky had a phone conversation, and Zelensky received a long-awaited invitation to visit the White House next week, although he expressed regret that he could not meet Biden in person before his meeting with Putin this week.

“He (Biden) said, 'I will never bargain with Ukraine's interests,' ” Zelensky noted. According to him, Ukraine has done everything to secure a NATO membership plan. “Every day we prove that we are more ready for the alliance than most EU countries,” he said.