Biden to meet Zelensky during NATO summit

According to CNN, this meeting will mark a sign of unity, in the context of Mr. Zelensky's presence at the summit is in doubt. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is one of the top issues on the agenda of NATO leaders, along with discussing the future path for Kiev to join the alliance, an issue that has caused divisions among leaders in this bloc.

Politico was the first to report the meeting.

Ukraine is expected to dominate the summit agenda as the US president seeks to maintain alliance unity in support of Mr Zelensky amid a conflict with Moscow. The NATO alliance is facing questions about Ukraine’s potential path to NATO membership and increased military aid to the country as the counteroffensive continues.

Biden has poured cold water on the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO amid the fighting, citing reforms the country still needs to make to join the alliance. “I don’t think there’s a consensus within NATO about whether or not Ukraine should be brought into the NATO family at this point in time, in the middle of a war,” Biden told CNN last week.

Mr Zelensky had previously said he had no plans to attend the summit “for fun” as he sought a clearer path for his country to join the alliance, along with security guarantees.

“Saying that NATO is not afraid of Russia is an important message. Ukraine should receive clear security guarantees outside NATO. Only under these conditions will our meeting be meaningful, otherwise it will be just a political exercise.”

Biden and Zelensky have held several high-level meetings over the past few months. The Ukrainian president’s first trip outside his country since the start of the war was to Washington just before Christmas, where he was welcomed by Biden in the Oval Office before the Kiev leader addressed Congress.

A few months later, Mr. Biden made a surprise trip to Kiev and announced a half-billion-dollar aid package. The two presidents walked near the golden-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral as air raid sirens blared, and many media outlets reported on the scene.

The face-to-face meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders took place at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan in May. Mr. Zelensky took advantage of this opportunity to pressure world leaders to increase aid, shortly after Russia took control of Bakhmut after months of intense fighting.

Biden is likely to face some criticism from allies at the NATO summit over his decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine for the first time. The move, aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s offensive capabilities, has sparked some public disagreement from allies. Biden called it a “tough decision” in the interview with Zakaria but said it was necessary because Ukraine was running low on ammunition.

Last Friday, Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine was grateful for the “timely, large-scale and much-needed” defence aid package from the US.