Biden apologizes to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy for holdup on military aid: “We’re still in”

President Biden on Friday, for the first time, publicly apologized to Ukraine for a months-long delay in American military assistance that allowed Russia to make battlefield gains, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for bipartisan U.S. support “as happened during World War II.”

Speaking in Paris the day after they had participated in 80th anniversary events of D-Day in Normandy, Biden apologized to the Ukrainian people for weeks of not knowing whether more assistance would come while conservative Republicans in Congress maintained a US$61 billion military aid package to Ukraine for six months.

“You didn’t bow. You didn’t give in,” Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart. “You continue to fight in a way that is simply remarkable, simply remarkable. We will not turn away from you.”

The president insisted that the American people were with Ukraine for the long term, saying, “We’re still in. Completely. Completely.”

“You are the bulwark against the aggression that is taking place,” Biden said of Zelenskyy. “We have an obligation to be there.”

Zelenskyy pressed all Americans to support defending their country against Russia’s invasion and thanked lawmakers for eventually coming together to pass the arms package, which allowed Ukraine contain Russian advances in recent weeks.

“It is very important that in this unity, United States of America, all the American people stand with Ukraine as happened during World War II,” Zelenskyy said. “How the United States helped to save human lives, to save Europe. And we count on your continued support to stand shoulder to shoulder.”

The Ukrainian president said US support lets Ukraine know “that we are not alone.”

The United States is by far the largest provider of wartime support to Kiev, and Ukraine is trying to defend itself an intense Russian offensive in the eastern areas of the country. The pressure is concentrated in the Ukrainian border regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, but Ukrainian authorities say it could spread as Russia’s largest army seeks to assert its advantage.

The offensive seeks to exploit shortages of ammunition and troops in Kiev along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.

This arms shortage occurred after US military aid was suspended in Congress for six months, before Biden, in April, sanctioned the $61 billion package.

The slow pace of delivery of long-promised Western weaponry frustrates Zelenskyy, as does Biden’s hesitancy to provide more equipment for fear of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin. This caused tension in their relationship.

The US will send around $225 million in military aid to Ukraine, the president said during his meeting with Zelenskyy. The package includes ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as mortar systems, a series of artillery rounds and missiles for HAWK air defense systems, according to the Pentagon.

Softening their stance amid Russia’s latest attack and with Ukraine’s army reeling, some NATO allies, including the US, said last week they would allow Ukraine to use weapons they deliver to Kiev to carry out limited attacks inside Russia. Zelenskyy told Biden that his decisions “had a very positive influence.”

That move provoked a furious response from the Kremlin, which warned that the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II could spiral out of control.

Biden and Zelenskyy attended D-Day anniversary events in Normandy, northern France, on Thursday, along with European leaders who supported Kiev’s war efforts. Biden promised “we will not abandon” Ukraine, drawing a direct line between the fight to free Europe from Nazi domination and today’s war against Russian aggression.

Ukraine describes its fight against Kremlin forces as a clash between Western democratic freedom and Russian tyranny. Russia says it is defending itself against a threatening eastward expansion of the NATO military alliance.

In a 20-minute speech to the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, Zelenskyy drew a parallel with the sacrifices made during World War II and his country’s current struggle.

“This battle is a crossroads,” Zelenskyy said. “A time when we can now write history the way we need to. Or we can become victims of history as it befits…to our enemy.”

Zelenskyy, who spoke in Ukrainian, was frequently interrupted by lawmakers’ applause and cheers. He received a standing ovation when he said in French: “Dear France, I thank you for being by our side as we defend life.”

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will supply Ukraine with its Mirage fighter jet.

Macron has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine. He said in February that placing Western troops on the ground in Ukraine is “not ruled out.”

Zelenskyy began a day of meetings in Paris with an official welcome ceremony at the gold-domed Invalides monument, the site of Napoleon’s tomb.

During the day, Zelenskyy was due to visit the Nexter weapons manufacturer in Versailles, which makes the Caesar self-propelled howitzers, which are among the weapons supplied by France to Kiev’s forces.

He would also meet Macron at the Élysée Palace.

Zelenskyy’s foreign trips are aimed at keeping Ukraine’s situation in the public eye, securing more military aid for its fight against Russia’s invasion and securing long-term Western support through bilateral alliances.

France and Ukraine signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement in February. Since then, Zelenskyy has signed similar bilateral agreements with many European countries.