Zelensky accuses Biden of providing gift to Russia
The absence of US President Joe Biden from an international gathering on the Ukraine conflict in Switzerland next month would be a gift to Russia, Vladimir Zelensky has said.
The American leader is set to miss the so-called “peace summit” in Burgenstock in mid-June, and will instead attend a fundraiser in Los Angeles attended by George Clooney, according to media reports. Zelensky claimed on Tuesday that if Biden misses the summit, it would “not be a particularly strong move.”
“...other leaders who watch the US reaction, need President Biden,” he told reporters during a press conference in Belgium. Zelensky claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin “would be on his feet applauding” the anticipated absence of his American counterpart.
US Vice President Kamala Harris will also not attend the conference, which excludes Russia at the request of Ukrainian government and is scheduled for June 15-16. More than 90 nations have confirmed their intention to take part in the summit, according to Zelensky.
Moscow considers the summit a “scam” intended to whip up support for Zelensky’s “peace formula” among non-Western nations under false pretenses. It says this document, which was first published in 2022, amounts to a demand for a Russian capitulation in the Ukraine conflict. Even if a Russian delegation were invited, it would not participate in the gathering, the Foreign Ministry has said.
Zelensky was in Brussels to sign a bilateral security agreement with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. He expects Ukraine to get at least €977 million (over $1 billion) in military aid this year alone. The ten-year deal will also result in Belgium donating 30 F-16 fighter jets, he added.
