March 19, 2024

John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council at the White House, said Sunday that the United States will continue to support Ukraine, but will not pressure it to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.

When asked if it was time for President Joe Biden to bring both sides to the table as the war drags on, Kirby told “Fox News Sunday” that the United States is committed to helping Ukraine fight the Russian invasion.

“It’s time for the United States to continue supporting Ukraine, and that’s what we’re doing,” Kirby said.

Kirby said the goal is to help Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his country win the war so that they are in a strong position to negotiate when the time comes. Kirby added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not shown any interest in peace talks, referring to the recent air strikes in Kyiv.

As G7 leaders were meeting in Europe on June 26, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russian air strikes hit at least two apartment buildings, killing at least one person, according to the Associated Press.

last week, Russia reportedly bombed a shopping center in KremenchugUkraine killed at least 20 people, while Russian missiles in Odessa killed at least 19 people on Friday.

“President Zelensky, he has to decide how to decide victory, when and on what terms,” Kirby said. “And the [what] We will do is continue to make sure that he can succeed on the battlefield so that he can succeed at the table. But even President Zelensky will tell you that now is not the time for these discussions.”

The former Pentagon spokesman noted that the United States alone has spent more than $7 billion in support of Ukrainians since the start of the war in February.

“We don’t want to see Ukraine defeated by Russia, which is why we continue to accelerate assistance,” Kirby said.

Meanwhile, Russia on Monday scored a victory in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region after the Ukrainians withdrew their forces from the region on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

“Russia’s focus will now almost certainly shift to the capture of the Donetsk Oblast, a large part of which is still under the control of Ukrainian forces,” the British Ministry of Defense wrote on Twitter.

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