Zelensky invites Biden to Ukraine to celebrate independence anniversary

REUTERS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited U.S. President Joe Biden to visit Ukraine and take part in the first summit of the Crimean Platform, as well as celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence in August.

This was reported by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in response to a request from RFE/RL's Ukrainian service.

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The ministry said that "organizing and conducting mutual visits at the level of heads of state remains on the permanent agenda of Ukrainian-American relations."

The Foreign Ministry did not specify the date of Zelensky's visit to the United States and whether Biden had accepted the invitation to come to Ukraine in August.

Ukraine-U.S. contacts

• On February 1, 2021, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and newly-appointed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke over the phone and agreed to make bilateral partnership more ambitious.
• Blinken said, among other things, sanctions imposed on Russia for its aggression in Donbas and Crimea should remain in place until Moscow fully implements its commitments on the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
• Blinken also assured Kuleba of the new U.S. administration's readiness to maintain robust economic and military assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of lethal weapons.