US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he felt Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was open to pursuing “just peace” to end the war in Ukraine but that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not show any signs of wanting to end the conflict.

“You’re open to pursuing a just peace,” Biden said to Zelensky in a joint press briefing, adding that Putin had “no intention of stopping this cruel war.”

Biden said that when Zelensky is ready to negotiate a settlement with Moscow, he will “be able to succeed as well because he would have won on the battlefield.”

With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky standing at his side, Biden announced a new $1.85 billion security assistance package for Ukraine that will include a Patriot air defense battery.

Biden said it would take some time to train Ukrainian troops to use the Patriot system against Russian attacks.

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said the US promise to provide the Patriot surface-to-air missile defense system was an important step in creating an effective air shield.

“This is the only way that we can deprive the terrorist state of its main instrument of terror – the possibility to hit our cities, our energy,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky also said that a “just peace” with Russia means no compromises on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Source: AFP