US President Joe Biden will meet with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi on July 12 in Vilnius. This was officially confirmed by US national security adviser Jake Sullivan at a briefing on July 11, which the White House broadcast on its website.
According to him, the topic of the meeting will be security guarantees for Ukraine from Western partners and the continuation of military support.
"Tomorrow, Biden will meet with Zelenskyi. They will discuss the long-term commitments of the US and other allies to help Ukraine defend against Russia now and defend against its aggression in the future," he said.
Providing a new aid package and Ukraine's needs will also be the topic of the first meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council, which will be held on July 12 within the framework of the Vilnius Summit, the adviser said. There, they will also discuss the format of Kyiv's possible entry into the defense bloc.
"Ukraine still needs to carry out some reforms. But the allies will give a common positive signal regarding Ukraine's membership in the Alliance," added Sullivan.
Politico reported on July 10 that Biden will meet with Zelenskyi on the second day of the NATO summit in Vilnius. According to him, they will hold backroom negotiations. The authors of the article claim that Biden will try to convince Zelensky that the "big" commitments of the US and other NATO allies in the field of security are the maximum that Kyiv can get at the Alliance summit this year.
In his evening address on July 10, the President of Ukraine confirmed that he will attend the NATO summit. Biden has already arrived in Lithuania.
It should be noted that Zelensky will lead the Ukrainian delegation at the annual summit of the Alliance, which started in Lithuania. The day before, the head of state announced the holding of a series of bilateral negotiations of various levels regarding military aid to Ukraine in Vilnius.
A day before the start of the summit, Zelenskyі emphasized that the Ukrainian authorities are working to make the membership algorithm for Ukraine "as clear and fast as possible." "Everyone understands everything. Every leader, every state. Even if different positions are voiced, it is still clear that Ukraine deserves to be in the Alliance. Not now - now is a war, but we need a clear signal. And we need a signal right now," said Zelenskyі .
Media reports that Vilnius "turned blue and yellow" on the eve of the NATO summit - Ukrainian flags and other expressions of support for Ukraine and its accession to the Alliance are visible everywhere.
According to Reuters, "NATO has turned Vilnius into a fortress" - the capital of Lithuania will be protected by the military and armaments of 16 Alliance countries during the summit.
