Ukraine and U.S. release joint statement after presidents meet

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S.
President Joe Biden met face to face at the White House on Sept. 1. The United
States and Ukraine published a joint statement detailing areas in which the
countries would cooperate. The document also recognized both Ukraine’s progress
and way forward in areas as diverse as physical and energy security, judicial
and social reform, and investment. Moreover, the U.S. was renewing Ukraine’s
Strategic Partnership Commission and that a new charter would be approved at
the ministerial level this autumn.

The meeting between the presidents lasted two hours
instead of the one hour scheduled, but there was no joint press conference
afterward. Zelensky spoke with reporters later, and stated that his
conversation with Biden was “not always sunny”, but in “such a normal, male
conversation”, pravda.com.ua reported on Sept. 2. 

In public statements before their meeting, both
presidents pointed out that the time allotted was too short, and that there was
much to talk about.

James Hydzik: Male
conversation patterns aside, the fact that the two spoke for two hours instead
of the one scheduled, when combined with the detailed joint statement, shows
the breadth of interaction between the two countries. Zelensky came away from
the meeting stating that he was not sure if any “chemistry” had developed
between him and Biden, but that he was satisfied with the results. If both
sides move on the promises made, then the visit will have had a positive effect
on relations.

However, the fact that there was no joint press
conference may have been more than just a matter of timing, as a presser was
not scheduled by the White House beforehand. The time was probably spent more
usefully with the two presidents talking together, but there is also the
precedent set by Zelensky’s recent visit to Berlin, where he aired the
differences between his view and outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s regarding
the Nord Stream II pipeline. Given the carefully scripted public display with
Biden beforehand and the need for both presidents to show a seamless
relationship at this time, skipping the meeting with reporters was probably a
wise move.