President Biden made it clear from the beginning that he would not send troops to Ukraine because he did not want a third world war, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said yesterday. On the eve of the meeting with President Macron, he thus raised the French leader’s suggestion about possibly sending troops.

– We fully respect the prerogatives of President Macron and his right to express his point of view on what is happening in Ukraine, and how, why and to what extent the French people will support Ukraine (…) At the same time, as the President of the United States, he expressed his own point of view: we will not send soldiers (…) The President made it clear from the very beginning that we are not looking for a third world war, a war with Russia – he said John Kirbyanswering the question during an online briefing on what Joe Biden reflects on the president’s statements Emmanuel Macron on the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.

Macron has repeatedly said in recent months that he has not ruled out sending troops, arguing that deterring Russia should also involve ensuring that Moscow is unsure of what the West will do.

Announcing Biden’s visit to the Elysee Palace today, the White House official stressed that the war in Ukraine and long-term support for Kiev would be the main topic of the negotiations. The leaders are also expected to discuss cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, including strengthening port security and law enforcement in the region’s waters.

When asked what the president told Biden yesterday about the situation on the Ukrainian front during their meeting in Paris, Volodymyr ZelenskyKirby said that the Ukrainian president gave an “honest assessment of the pressure” his troops are under in Donbass. At the same time, he stressed that, among other things, thanks to the help of the United States, the Ukrainians managed to stop the Russian attack in the north of the Kharkiv region.

– I say this with a dose of humility, because the opponent always has something to say here, but at the moment it certainly seems that (Kharkov’s offensive) has stopped, Kirby said.

lp/belsat.eu according to PAP