TOKYO: US President Joe Biden and leaders of the G7 nations were holding a virtual meeting on Wednesday with Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a show of support for the Kyiv’s war against Moscow.
G7 nations were also expected to announce a ban on Russian diamonds and steps to manage around 300 billion euros in immobilised Russia’s central bank assets and the G7 oil price cap, Reuters reported.
President Biden, meanwhile, was set to speak later on Wednesday pushing the US Congress to support his weeks-old plea for billions of dollars in Ukraine help.
G7 Leaders Meet with Zelenskiy
Washington plans to announce around $175 million in additional defense aid for Kyiv on Wednesday, a U.S. official said. Earlier, Zelensky had canceled plan to appeal directly to US legislators for new aid and help, as a partisan battle over policy of immigration threatened to derail President Joe Biden’s plea for billions of dollars for Ukraine’s fight against Moscow, Western media reported on Tuesday.
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Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate have been debating for weeks over President Biden’s October plea that Congress adopts 106 billion dollars for Ukraine. The House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson stated funds for Ukraine must be inked to “transformative change” in American immigration policy.
US Congress has approved around 113 billion dollars for Ukraine since Russia-Ukraine war, but it has not endorsed any new funds since Republicans took control of the House from Democrats in January.
