President Joe Biden was joined by fellow world leaders on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday to announce a fresh declaration of support for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion approaches its third year.
“Today, we show Ukrainians you're not alone, you're not alone in this fight, not alone in the reconstruction that comes after,” Biden said. “Ukrainian people have fought and died to win the future of freedom and independence.”
The Joint Declaration of Support for Recovery and Reconstruction of Ukraine received the backing of more than 30 countries and the European Union, Biden announced on Wednesday. It seeks to reaffirm the countries’ commitments to hold Russia financially responsible for the damage it has caused, provide Kyiv with resources to build back stronger and prioritize coordination between countries to ensure that “each dollar goes as far as possible.”
“I'm determined to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to prevail in the fight for its survival,” Biden said at the event.
The pledge, Biden noted, upholds that the $280 billion in Russian assets frozen by members of the Group of Seven and the European Union in the immediate aftermath of the country’s invasion will remain immobilized until Moscow ends the war and pays for the damages it has caused. In a significant and much-anticipated development in the West’s support for Kyiv earlier this summer, leaders at the G7 Summit in Italy announced they were backing a U.S. plan to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan from the proceeds of the frozen Russian assets.
Biden on Wednesday also touted Ukraine’s economy, noting that despite the war, its GDP is “stable and actually growing,” its defense industry has expanded and it is exporting “almost as much grain as it did before” the fighting.
“Ukraine's economy is resilient and together, we can help Ukraine go from economic resilience to economic revival” he said.
It comes as Biden is set to sit down with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Thursday amid mounting pressure from the Ukrainian leader to allow his forces to use long-range weapons provided by the U.S. to strike further into Russian territory.
During Wednesday’s event, Biden said he will announce “a series of actions to accelerate support for Ukraine's military” but has not said whether he will approve the request to strike deeper into Russia.
On Monday, Biden responded “no” when asked by reporters at the White House whether he had made a decision regarding allowing Ukraine to use the weapons.
Earlier this month, he told reporters “We’re working that out right now,” when asked a similar question.
The Biden administration in May announced it was signing off on Ukraine using American weapons to hit targets in a limited area of Russian territory, just across the two countries’ borders. At the time, the move marked a notable shift for the White House, which had long said it does not “encourage” or “enable” attacks by Ukraine on Russian soil using U.S.-provided weapons.
In an interview after the announcement in May, Biden appeared to draw a distinction between that and approving their use for attacks further into the country.
The U.S. and Western leaders have been cautious about sparking a wider war and Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened that direct involvement from the West could lead to nuclear conflict.
Zelenskyy, who is also set to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington on Thursday, is expected to lay out a much-anticipated “victory plan” during his sit-down with Biden at the White House.