President Biden will travel to Brussels, Belgium, next week to meet with the European Council to discuss Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced on Tuesday.
State of play: The European Council summit is scheduled for March 24 and 25. While in Brussels, Biden will also attend a meeting with leaders of NATO on March 24.
- "We will address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence & defence," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted on Tuesday.
Details: Biden will join NATO leaders "to discuss ongoing defense efforts in response to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine, as well as to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our NATO allies," Psaki said.
- "He will also join a scheduled European Council summit to discuss our shared concerns about Ukraine, including transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence and address other challenges related to the conflict," she added.
- When asked if Biden would be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Psaki said, "We're still finalizing the trip at this point in time. ... Nothing's on the table at this point in time."
Between the lines: Psaki reasserted the U.S. position against establishing a no-fly zone, saying that Biden continues to believe that it could "be escalatory and could prompt a war with Russia."
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