U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 10 during the NATO Summit in Washington, Reuters reported on July 7.
As Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives since October 2023, Johnson was widely blamed for delaying fresh supplies of aid to Kyiv due to his refusal to hold a vote on various iterations of the foreign aid bill that allocated $61 billion in support for Ukraine.
Earlier this summer, Johnson said he disagreed with imposing restrictions on Kyiv regarding the use of U.S.-supplied weapons and criticized the Biden administration's "micromanaging the war effort in Ukraine."
The U.S. gave Ukraine permission on June 1 to use American-supplied weapons, including HIMARS rockets, to strike targets in Russia located near the border with Kharkiv Oblast after Russia launched a renewed offensive in the region on May 10.
Ukraine said that Washington's initial ban on striking targets in Russia meant Ukraine was unable to attack Russian forces as they were building up before crossing the border into Kharkiv Oblast in the renewed Russian offensive that was launched on May 10.
Support for Ukraine is expected to be a key focus for this year's NATO summit. Sitting President Joe Biden has provided significant monetary and military support for Ukraine over the last two years while opposing candidate Donald Trump has promised to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine within 24 hours but has not publicly elaborated on how he plans to do so. One plan reportedly involves ceding territory to Russia.
Politico reported earlier this month that diplomats and world leaders preparing for next week’s NATO summit are privately voicing significant concerns about President Biden’s age, health, and his ability to secure victory in the 2024 presidential election.
Biden faces a challenging task at the upcoming NATO summit, where he was set to address allies' concerns about America's commitment to Ukraine. However, his debate performance against Trump has shifted the focus of the summit to an evaluation of Biden’s physical and political resilience.
The upcoming NATO summit will take place between July 9 and July 11 in Washington, DC.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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