U.S. President Joe Biden will not attend the upcoming Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland, a decision that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described as a gift to Russia.
Instead, Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will represent the U.S. during the two-day event in Lucerne starting June 15, the White House said in a statement Monday.
The Ukrainians had hoped that Biden would put in an appearance, given his plans to attend France’s D-Day anniversary celebrations and a meeting of G7 leaders in Italy in the days leading up to the summit.
Instead, Biden appears set to attend a Hollywood fundraising event planned for the summit weekend.
“The Vice President will underscore the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s effort to secure a just and lasting peace, based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principles of the U.N. Charter,” the White House said.
Ukraine has already secured promises from more than 100 countries to attend, according to Zelenskyy’s office, although some key states, including China, refused to come, citing the absence of a representative from Russia during the summit.
Zelenskyy criticized Beijing for skipping the event, saying it was helping Russia derail peace efforts.
“I believe that the peace summit needs President Biden, and other leaders need President Biden because they will look at the U.S.’s reaction,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Brussels last week.
The U.S. president’s absence “would only be met by an applause by Putin — a personal, standing applause,” he added.
No matter who represents the U.S. at the peace summit, it can’t be said that Washington and President Biden haven’t been there for Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing last week.
“From the very beginning of this conflict, no other leader has done as much and continues to do as much as President Biden does to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression,” Kirby said.
“And no other leader has done as much to work with the Ukrainians, not only for their defense needs now, but for what their defense needs are going to be when this war is over.”
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