\n<\/p>\n
President Biden apologized to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday for the monthslong delay in approving military aid, blaming it on conservative Republican opposition. But he vowed to stand by Ukraine against Russian aggression.<\/p>\n
\u201cI apologize for the weeks of not knowing what was going to pass, in terms of funding, because we had trouble getting the bill that we had to pass, that had the money in it,\u201d Mr. Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart ahead of a private meeting in Paris. \u201cSome of our very conservative members were holding it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Mr. Biden said his administration \u201cfinally\u201d got the funding approved and he promised to continue supporting Ukraine\u2019s war effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are the bulwark against the aggression that is taking place,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re still in. Completely. Thoroughly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The meeting and Mr. Biden\u2019s commitment of support comes at a critical juncture in the war with Russia, as the two allies seek ways to reverse the momentum<\/a> on the battlefield that has helped the forces of President Vladimir V. Putin.<\/p>\n Mr. Zelensky thanked Mr. Biden for what he called \u201csignificant support\u201d from the United States as his forces battle Russia, and he compared the American effort to the fight against Hitler 80 years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring World War II, the United States helped to save human lives, to save Europe,\u201d Mr. Zelensky said. \u201cAnd we count on your continuing support and standing with us, shoulder to shoulder. Thank you so much.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The two men are participating in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, which helped turn the tide against Nazi Germany in World War II. Mr. Biden will travel later in the day back to Normandy to deliver a speech<\/a> honoring U.S. soldiers and linking that long-ago war to today\u2019s conflict in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The meeting was the first between the American and Ukrainian leaders since December, and follows a decision by Mr. Biden last week to give permission to Ukraine<\/a> to fire U.S.-provided weapons into Russian territory. That was a reversal in policy after more than two years of limits intended to avoid an escalation with a nuclear-powered adversary.<\/p>\n But Mr. Biden loosened the restrictions only enough to authorize strikes against military targets just over the border in the northeast to defend Kharkiv, Ukraine\u2019s second-largest city. Long-range strikes deeper into Russia are still banned.<\/p>\n In his brief remarks, Mr. Zelensky referred obliquely to Mr. Biden\u2019s policy shift, indicating that it had been helpful to his forces.<\/p>\n \u201cYour decisions have had a very positive influence,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to share everything, all the details with press, sorry, but there are some details on the battlefield that you need to hear from us.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Zelensky\u2019s comments appeared to betray an ongoing frustration at the restraint, and a desire for latitude to use the weapons for more than the limited self-defense currently allowed in the Kharkiv area.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Ukrainians are also disappointed that Mr. Biden will not attend a peace summit in Switzerland on June 15 organized by Mr. Zelensky. Vice President Kamala Harris and Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, are to attend instead.<\/p>\n Even though it did not meet all of Mr. Zelensky\u2019s wishes, Mr. Biden\u2019s reversal on the use of U.S. weapons against targets inside Russia \u2014 a tactic also endorsed by other NATO countries \u2014 provoked a predictably prickly response from<\/a> Mr. Putin, who suggested a tit-for-tat retaliation.<\/p>\n Speaking with reporters in St. Petersburg, Mr. Putin suggested this week that such a move meant that Russia had \u201cthe right to send our weapons of the same class to those regions of the world where strikes can be made on sensitive facilities of the countries that do this against Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The United States has been the most important supplier of arms to Ukraine since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in February 2022. But Mr. Biden has at times been slow to provide more sophisticated weaponry for fear of provoking an escalation with Moscow, and House Republican leaders blocked additional military aid for six months, leaving Ukrainian defenders scraping for ammunition and weapons just as Russia was pressing forward with fierce assaults.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n