On December 9, in the evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his American counterpart Joe Biden had an hour and a half telephone conversation. The parties discussed the situation in Ukraine, the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, the war in Donbas, Ukraine's membership in NATO and assessed the results of Biden's negotiations with the head of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
What Biden and Zelenskyy talked about
War in Donbas
The President's Office notes that Biden confirmed "his adamant determination to find paths to peace in Donbas."
"The parties coordinated their positions on further steps in this direction. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine offers clear proposals to unblock the peace process and is ready to discuss them in various formats," is stated in the report.
Nord Stream 2 and energy security
During the conversation, the Ukrainian President noted the threats that Nord Stream 2 poses for Ukraine. According to him, the advancement of the gas pipeline deprives Ukraine of "an important factor of deterring Russian aggression." The parties discussed clear steps that could strengthen Ukraine's energy resilience.
Russian aggression
Andriy Yermak, the Head of the OP, noted during the broadcast of the program Pravo na Vladu (Right to Power – Ed. note) that Biden had assured Zelenskyy that the United States had been ready to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation in the case of a new Russian invasion. He added that Washington would provide all the necessary assistance so that Ukraine could fight back in the case of an escalation.
Ukraine's membership in NATO
According to Yermak, Biden spoke in support of Ukraine's membership in NATO and stressed that it would be decided exclusively by the citizens of Ukraine.
Jen Psaki, the Spokeswoman for the Biden administration, noted that the US President "certainly supports Ukraine's aspirations to join the alliance. In this regard, the country needs to fulfill a number of conditions, including the fight against corruption," she added.
Psaki also stressed that reports that the United States was allegedly forcing Ukraine to "give up" its territories in the east are "absolutely false."
Context. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy positively evaluated the talks between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as stated at the joint briefing with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joe Biden held their previous meeting at the UN climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow, UK.