“The President has from the beginning made it clear that we aren’t looking for World War Three, and we’re not looking for a war with Russia,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman has said.
John Kirby’s statement comes ahead of Biden’s meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, addressing the French leader’s comments, who has suggested the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, and that the West should maintain strategic ambiguity to deter Russia.
During a briefing on Friday, the spokesman said that the U.S. respects President Macron’s “prerogatives” and “his ability to express his views about what’s going on in Ukraine”. However, “there’s not going to be U.S. boots on the ground in combat in Ukraine,” he said.
Announcing Biden’s upcoming visit to the Élysée Palace, the White House representative highlighted that the Ukraine war and long-term support for Kyiv would be the primary topics. The leaders will also discuss Indo-Pacific cooperation, including port security and law enforcement in the region.
When asked about Biden’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Paris on Friday, Kirby said Zelenskiy gave an “honest” assessment of the pressure on his forces in Donbas. He noted that the U.S. aid had helped Ukraine hold off Russian advances around Kharkiv.
He said: “They have now been able to receive the benefits of five security packages and now a sixth coming, as the President announced today, that they have been able to thwart Russian advances, particularly around Kharkiv.
“Their advance on Kharkiv is all but over because they ran into the first line of defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and basically stopped.”
While Macron maintains a stance of strategic ambiguity, Biden remains firm in his decision to avoid direct military involvement, focusing instead on bolstering NATO and providing robust support to Ukraine.
During a briefing on Friday, the spokesman said that the U.S. respects President Macron’s “prerogatives” and “his ability to express his views about what’s going on in Ukraine”. However, “there’s not going to be U.S. boots on the ground in combat in Ukraine,” he said.
Announcing Biden’s upcoming visit to the Élysée Palace, the White House representative highlighted that the Ukraine war and long-term support for Kyiv would be the primary topics. The leaders will also discuss Indo-Pacific cooperation, including port security and law enforcement in the region.
When asked about Biden’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Paris on Friday, Kirby said Zelenskiy gave an “honest” assessment of the pressure on his forces in Donbas. He noted that the U.S. aid had helped Ukraine hold off Russian advances around Kharkiv.
He said: “They have now been able to receive the benefits of five security packages and now a sixth coming, as the President announced today, that they have been able to thwart Russian advances, particularly around Kharkiv.
“Their advance on Kharkiv is all but over because they ran into the first line of defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and basically stopped.”
While Macron maintains a stance of strategic ambiguity, Biden remains firm in his decision to avoid direct military involvement, focusing instead on bolstering NATO and providing robust support to Ukraine.
Source: whitehouse.gov, PAP
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