The White House has postponed the face-to-face meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and his U.S. counterpart Joseph Biden to Sept. 1.
Zelensky’s spokesman Sergii Nikiforov confirmed that the meeting was rescheduled.
This is the second time that Zelensky’s meeting with Biden in Washington was moved back a day. The initial visit was scheduled for Aug. 30. According to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the first delay was due to “the expansion of the visit’s agenda.”
Now according to Nikiforov, the reason is Afghanistan.
“We support our partners. We understand that security always comes first. Therefore, we agreed to the U.S. request for a one-day postponement,” Nikiforov told Interfax-Ukraine.
The Taliban, a radical Islamist group, seized Afghanistan on Aug. 15 by entering Kabul without a fight. The swift defeat of the Afghan Western-backed government prompted the U.S. to speed up the evacuation of U.S. citizens, troops and contractors.
Explosive attacks struck Kabul airport on Aug. 26, killing over 170 people, including 13 U.S. soldiers. Aug. 31 has been set as the new deadline.
According to the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet, the President’s Office called the last day of August “the worst possible day for a meeting between the two presidents.”
The upcoming negotiations will center around arms supplies, U.S. financial support, energy and the assessment of Ukraine’s progress in implementing a variety of crucial reforms.
According to the President’s Office, several documents on defense, trade and aerospace will be signed in Washington following the meeting.
According to Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Zelensky will travel to California after he meets with Biden.
Dzerkalo Tyzhnya news outlet reported that Zelensky is planning on meeting with tech executives including Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook and Tesla founder Elon Musk.
