Biden and Zelenskyy to meet amid tensions over pace of U.S. military aid

President Joe Biden will meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in France this week at a tense moment in ties between the two governments as Kyiv has grown frustrated by the pace of military assistance and U.S. criticisms of Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts.

Relations between the two governments appear to have reached the lowest point since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, former officials said. Ukrainian and U.S. officials privately acknowledge the friction in the relationship, even though both countries share a common goal in defending Ukraine against Russia’s onslaught.

The meeting between the two presidents comes only days after the White House reversed a ban and allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike at targets inside a limited area in Russia. The decision — which fell short of what Kyiv was asking for — came after Zelenskyy and European governments made repeated public appeals and as the northern city of Kharkiv appeared vulnerable to falling.

The episode resembled previous decisions by the Biden administration on Ukraine, with officials initially ruling out a specific request due in part to concerns over possibly triggering a crisis with Russia, followed by an internal debate, urgent appeals from other governments and lawmakers and eventually a green light from the White House approving Kyiv’s request.