Biden Apologizes To Zelenskiy As Ukrainian President Tours France Seeking Military Aid

U.S. President Joe Biden (right) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a bilateral meeting in Paris on June 7 where Biden publicly apologized for a monthslong holdup in American military assistance that let Russia make gains on the battlefield.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine after months of delay prompted by Republican in-party bickering.

U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken (second right) and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (right) listen as Biden speaks with Zelenskiy.

"I 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 money in it," Biden said, adding that congressional Republicans had held up the aid package.

Zelenskiy and Biden are in Paris participating in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing of World War II. Zelenskiy is seeking additional Western aid as his country faces a new offensive by Russian forces in the east.

Zelenskiy had earlier in the day addressed members of the French National Assembly, where he said the peace Europe has enjoyed since the end of World War II has been erased by the aggression of Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and represents a threat to the entire continent.

"We live in times when Europe again stopped being a continent of peace," Zelenskiy said.

"We live in times when Nazism is returning again, unfortunately. Now in Europe again cities are being destroyed and villages are being burned to ashes. In Europe again we have filtration camps, deportations, and hatred that became a new cult in Russia," Zelenskiy added.

At a meeting with military businesses in Paris, Zelenskiy met with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Philippe Petitcolin, chairman of the board of directors of the KNDS company.