The US House of Representatives on Friday passed significant gun-safety legislation for the first time in three decades, sending it to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it into law.

The House voted 234-193 for the bill, the day after a Supreme Court ruling broadly expanded gun rights. No Democrats were opposed, while 14 Republicans backed the measure. It was supported by major law enforcement groups and its passage was a rare defeat for U.S. gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association.

House action followed a late Thursday Senate vote of 65-33 to pass the bill, with 15 Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in favor.

Gun control has long been a divisive issue in the United States with multiple attempts to place new controls on gun sales failing time after time until Friday.

Passage of what some Democrats characterized as a modest, first-step bill followed mass murders last month at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

“The legislation…includes several strong steps to save lives, not only from horrific mass shootings but also from the daily massacre of gun crime, suicide and tragic accidents,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during debate.

Noting that guns have become the leading “killer of children in America,” Pelosi said Congress must now go further and legislate more changes to gun-sale background checks and restrictions on “high-capacity armament.”

The bill does take some steps on background checks by allowing access, for the first time, to information on significant crimes committed by juveniles. It also cracks down on gun sales to purchasers convicted of domestic violence. And it provides new federal funding to states that administer “red flag” laws intended to remove guns from people deemed dangerous to themselves and others.

The Brady gun control group described the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” as “the strongest gun violence prevention law in the last 30 years,” and cited the “100 people killed with guns each day” in America. Many of those deaths are the result of suicide.

“Today they (Democrats) are coming after law-abiding American citizens’ Second Amendment liberties,” said Representative Jim Jordan, the senior Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. He was referring to the constitutional right to “keep and bear arms” that conservatives argue should be broadly protected.

Deep Divide

On Thursday, the Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, struck down New York state’s limits on carrying concealed handguns outside the home. The court found that the law, enacted in 1913, was unconstitutional.

That ruling and the gun-safety legislation passed on Friday illustrate a deep divide over firearms in the United States, weeks after the Uvalde and Buffalo shootings that killed more than 30 people, including 19 young children at an elementary school.

The National Rifle Association, the nation’s most powerful gun lobby, declared the court ruling “a monumental win” for American gun owners.

On Friday it attacked the bill passed by Congress, calling it a “senseless” gun control measure that “will only infringe on the rights of the law-abiding.”

The legislation passed by Congress is seen as modest in scope for a country with the highest gun ownership per capita in the world and the highest number of mass shootings annually among wealthy nations.

In 2020, the rate of gun deaths in the United States surged 35% to the highest point since 1994, with especially deadly levels for young Black men, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report published May 10.

Source: REUTERS

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Turkey for the first time in years on Wednesday for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan aimed at fully normalising ties that were ruptured after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The visit marks a step in efforts by the de facto Saudi leader to rehabilite his image beyond the Gulf, and comes as Erdogan seeks financial support that could help relieve Turkey’s beleaguered economy ahead of tight elections for the president.

In April, Erdogan held one-on-one talks with Prince Mohammed in Saudi Arabia after a months-long drive to mend relations between the regional powers, including dropping the Turkish trial over Khashoggi’s 2018 murder in Istanbul.

Erdogan said last week he and Prince Mohammed would discuss “to what much higher level” they can take ties during talks in Ankara.

The visit is expected to bring “a full normalisation and a restoration of the pre-crisis period,” a senior Turkish official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “A new era will begin.”

Erdogan welcomed Prince Mohammed at the presidential palace in Ankara with a ceremony and the two shook hands and embraced, before being met by members of the Turkish cabinet.

In a statement following the talks, the two countries emphasized determination on ushering in a new period of cooperation in bilateral relations.

The Turkish official said the two countries had lifted restrictions on trade, flights and the screening of TV series, with mutual negative media coverage also halted.

However, he said negotiations on a possible currency swap line – which could help restore Turkey’s diminished foreign reserves – were not moving “as fast as desired” and will be discussed privately between Erdogan and Prince Mohammed.

The two countries also discussed improving cooperation in trade and sectors such as defence, energy and tourism among others, the joint statement said. It added that Ankara invited Saudi investment funds to invest in Turkish startups.

Criticism halted

Prince Mohammed is on his first tour outside the Gulf region in over three years including a visit to Jordan.

Ties between Ankara and Riyadh took a turn for the worse after a Saudi hit squad killed and dismembered Khashoggi in 2018 at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. Erdogan at the time blamed it on the “highest levels” of the Saudi government.

The visit, including the welcoming ceremony at the palace, marks a turnaround in their relations. Ankara stopped all criticism and halted its murder trial in April, transferring the case to Riyadh in a move condemned by human rights groups.

Prince Mohammed has been leveraging Saudi Arabia’s vast wealth and oil production capacity to lure in Western leaders and private business partners, hoping shifting geopolitics and a focus on social and economic reforms would soften criticism of his human rights record.

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to visit Saudi Arabia in July as Washington struggles with record high gasoline prices and building a united front against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

The visit also comes as Turkey’s economy is badly strained by a slumping lira and inflation soaring beyond 70%. Saudi funds and foreign currency could help Erdogan shore up support ahead of elections by June 2023, analysts say.

The Turkish official said Saudi Arabia may be interested in companies within the Turkish Wealth Fund or elsewhere, or in making investments similar to those by the United Arab Emirates in recent months.

The leaders will also discuss the possible sale of Turkish armed drones to Riyadh, the person added.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said on Tuesday that Erdogan “will embrace the man who ordered the killing” of Khashoggi and accused him of trading “the country’s honour” for financial aid.

Prince Mohammed denies any involvement in the murder.

Source: REUTERS

When Colombians on Sunday elected their first leftist president ever, they also voted for their country’s first Black vice-president. Francia Marquez, a Black single mother who worked as a maid before challenging international mining interests as a fiery environmentalist, now becomes Colombia’s first Black female vice-president. Her victory marks a turning point in a country plagued by social inequalities and historically governed by conservative elites.  

On the campaign trail, she was exuberant and unabashedly dazzling. In brightly coloured Afro-Colombian garments teamed with big jewellery, Francia Marquez embraced her identity, challenged the status quo and proposed a brighter future. 

“It’s time to move from resistance to power,” the 40-year-old candidate would chant, raising her fist – with a smile. 

On Sunday, Colombians elected their first ever leftist president when Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla, defeated a real estate millionaire in a runoff victory that marked a seismic shift in the South American country long governed by conservatives or moderates. 

With Marquez as his running mate, Petro has signalled not just a political break, but also a social one in a country that has historically denied the existence of racism. 

What’s more, Marquez – with her brightly printed fabrics and the assertion of her Afro-Colombian roots – has also thrust the Europeanised elitism of Colombia under the spotlight, opening a discussion on racism in a country that overwhelmingly identifies as racially mixed, or Mestizo, sweeping racism under the table.

Marquez’s journey, from young, Black single mother to the country’s vice-presidency is an extraordinary story of grit against the odds.

An activist for Afro-Colombian rights

There is nothing in Marquez’s past to suggest that she would embark on a political career. Born in 1981 in a small village in the southwestern Cauca region of Colombia, she grew up alone with her mother. Pregnant at 16 with her first child, she was first forced to work in a gold mine a few kilometres from home to support her family and then hired as a maid. 

Her environmental activism started early, in 1996, when she was just 15. Marquez learned that a multinational company wanted to launch a project to extend a dam on the region’s main river, the Ovejas, which would have a major impact on her community.

Living on the banks of the river since the 17th century, the Afro-Colombian community has been practising agriculture and artisanal mining, its main sources of income, for generations.

A 500-kilometre walk for the environment

The Ovejas River campaign marked the beginning of Marquez’s long struggle to defend the rights of Afro-Colombian communities and preserve their land. For the past 20 years, she has been fighting relentlessly against the multinational companies that exploit the area around the Ovejas river and sometimes force people to leave it.

Marquez didn’t become widely known until 2014. At that time, she was targeting the illegal miners who had set up operations along the river, digging for gold and, above all, abundantly using mercury – an element that separates gold from water but also contaminates water and destroys biodiversity. In protest, Marquez organised a “turban march”, which saw a protest march of 80 women walking from Cauca to Bogota, a 10-day, 500-kilometre journey. The group demonstrated in front of the interior ministry for almost 20 days. In the end, the activists won, as the government pledged to destroy all the illegal farms around the Ovejas. 

Marquez has since earned a law degree and has held numerous forums, lectured in universities and delivered speeches before political figures and NGOs. She was awarded the Goldman Prize, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for the environment, in 2018 for her efforts. The following year, she appeared on the BBC’s list of the 100 most influential women in the world. 

“I am someone who raises my voice to stop the destruction of rivers, forests and moors. I am someone who dreams that one day human beings will change the economic model of death, to make way for building a model that guarantees life,” she declared on her website. 

‘Our governments have turned their backs on the people’

Marquez finally decided to enter politics in 2020 and made no effort to hide her ambition: “I want to be a candidate for this country. I want the population to be free and dignified. I want our territories to be places of life,” she tweeted. That same year, she launched her movement “Soy porque somos” (“I am because we are”). In March 2022, she ran in the presidential primaries of the left-wing “Historic Pact” coalition. Marquez surprised everyone by coming in third, prompting Petro to choose her as his running mate.

She made the fight to preserve Afro-Colombian lands a central part of her political campaign, constantly harking back to her roots. “I am an Afro-Colombian woman, a single mother of two who gave birth to her first child at the age of 16 and worked in households to pay the bills. But I am also an award-winning environmental activist. And above all, a lawyer who could become Colombia’s first Black vice president,” she declared at numerous campaign rallies. 

“Our governments have turned their backs on the people, on justice and on peace,” she added. “If they had done their job properly, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Within the population, there has been a lot of popular anger in recent months directed towards the political class, particularly linked to the Covid-19 pandemic,” explained Olga Lucia Gonzalez, an associate researcher and specialist on Colombia at the University of Paris-Diderot. “Francia Marquez comes from civil society and not from the traditional political elite. This is an argument that she plays on, and that goes greatly in her favour.”

Marquez’s biggest contribution, according to Gonzalez, has been her ability to address overlooked issues. “But above all, she is a woman, Black, Afro-Colombian, and she brings with her issues that until now have been totally forgotten, like the relationship to colonialism, sexism, racism,” she noted. 

Marquez was not the only Afro-Colombian candidate in this presidential election – Caterine Ibarguen and Zenaida Martinez also stood for office in the 2022 race. Together, they said they wanted to fight against the double discrimination faced by women who are Black. This discrimination is reflected in Colombia’s political life: There was only one Black woman in the outgoing government and only two in parliament.

This in a country that has the second-largest population of African descent in Latin America. Official census data indicate that Afro-Colombians represent over 6.2 percent of Colombia’s population, a figure demographers say is grossly underestimated. Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities continue to face disproportionate levels of poverty, violence and land expropriation. According to government findings, about 31 percent of the Afro-Colombian population lives in poverty, compared to 20 percent of the national population. 

Petro’s victory in the 2022 presidential election has catapulted Marquez from a symbolic vice-presidential hopeful to the top echelons of actual political power. Her biggest challenges are likely still to come.

Source: France 24

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Monday she will not seek a second term, ending months of speculation amid growing criticism of her lax stance on rights abuses in China.

“As my term as High Commissioner draws to a close, this Council’s milestone 50th session will be the last which I brief,” Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council as it opened a four-week sitting.

She provided no explanation for her decision.

The 70-year-old former Chilean president, who will wrap up her four-year mandate at the end of August, had until now remained mum about whether she would seek to stay on for a second term.

Speculation has been rife for months, with a wide range of diplomats in Geneva telling AFP in recent weeks that she had yet to provide clues to her plans.

The post of High Commissioner for Human Rights typically faces heavy political pressure from countries around the world, and while it can be held for a maximum of two terms, nearly all of Bachelet’s predecessors have avoided staying on for more than one term.

Discrete diplomacy

Bachelet has faced mounting criticism from countries and NGOs for not speaking out more forcefully against allegations of widespread rights abuses in some countries, most notably in China.

When she was appointed in 2018 by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, it was clear she was meant to mark a break with the repeated declarations of outrage by her very outspoken predecessor Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of Jordan.

Bachelet, who went from torture victim under Augusto Pinochet to become the first woman to serve as president of Chile, has instead emphasised the importance of dialogue and discrete diplomacy in forwarding rights in various countries.

This approach has not sat well with some and she has faced significant pushback over her restraint, especially when it comes to China.

She did take a long-awaited trip to the country last month — the first in 17 years by a UN rights chief.

The trip took her to the far-western Xinjiang region, where China is alleged to have detained over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, as well as carried out forced sterilisation of women and coerced labour.

The United States has labelled China’s actions in Xinjiang a “genocide” and “crimes against humanity”, allegations vehemently denied by Beijing which says its security crackdown in the region was a necessary response to extremism.

‘Seek dialogue’

While there, Bachelet did raise concerns about the situation, but NGOs said had not gone far enough and had “legitimised Beijing’s attempt to cover up its crimes”.

In her statement to the Rights Council Monday, Bachelet stressed that she had “raised concerns regarding the human rights situation of the Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, including broad arbitrary detention and patterns of abuse.”

Bachelet, who has faced harsh criticism for so far failing to release a report on the rights situation in Xinjiang, said the report was now “being updated”.

“It will be shared with the government for factual comments before publication,” she said.

At the same time, she hailed the opening of dialogue with China, saying there was now an agreement to “hold an annual senior meeting on human rights and to continue exchanges on “specific human rights issues of concern”.

“We are now elaborating concrete steps to put the agreements into action.”

Presenting an overview of a long line of rights situations of concern around the world, Bachelet appealed Monday to the rights council to “continue to seek dialogue”.

“Be willing to hear the other, to understand respective points of view and to actively work towards identifying common ground,” she said.

Source: AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a two-day visit to Turkey on Tuesday for talks on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine, which have been stalled by Moscow’s offensive amid a UN warning of worldwide food crisis due to the war. This comes as fighting intensifies in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he hoped issues relating to grain shipments from ports in Ukraine could be resolved, provided Kyiv de-mines the waters around them. Speaking alongside his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, Lavrov said Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine was going according to plan and that peace talks would need to resume before there was any chance of presidential talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Turkey’s foreign minister said a UN plan to open a corridor to restart Ukrainian grain exports was reasonable and requires more talks with all sides to ensure ships would be safe.

Speaking alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu said their meeting in Ankara was fruitful, including a will to return to negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv for a possible ceasefire.

Source: France 24

As the United Kingdom celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s 70th year on the throne, many in Britain and abroad are questioning the future of the Commonwealth of Nations, a group of 54 nation-states largely comprised of former British colonies which the Queen has championed throughout her reign. What purpose does this international club of nations serve, and what may the future hold?

With roots in the British empire, the Commonwealth in its modern-day form came about in 1949 with the London Declaration establishing a precedent of member states being “free and equal”. Membership was not contingent on recognising the British monarch as the head of state. King George VI was the political association’s first head, and Elizabeth II took over in 1952 after her ascension to the throne.

Based on free and voluntary cooperation, the 54 member states make up about a quarter of the world’s population, with the vast majority being former British colonies. These member states share in the values of democracy and human rights and champion youth affairs and the environment, among other issues. They participate in a biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, over which the queen presides, and the Commonwealth Games, an international sporting event which occurs every four years.

“The Commonwealth was created as an alternative way to keep ties of voluntary friendship and mutual interest among nations linked through English language and, for the most part, relationship with Britain as former colonies,” said Cindy McCreery, historian and senior lecturer at the University of Sydney and a specialist in the history of the British Royal Family.

“One of its key achievements is keeping so many diverse states in it – Canada, the UK, Australia, India, Caribbean countries and former colonies in Africa,” McCreery added. “The Commonwealth is also remarkable in that states have left and come back – like South Africa, which left the organisation under apartheid and came back voluntarily”.

Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth has played a crucial role in championing the Commonwealth and maintaining its relevance.

“The Commonwealth has always been a priority to the Queen, which is a key reason as to why it still survives,” said Craig Prescott, a lecturer in UK constitutional law at Bangor University.

“She has visited countries in the Commonwealth throughout her reign until relatively recently — her last trip abroad was to Malta in 2015 for the Heads of Government meeting. She has always reminded people of the importance of the Commonwealth, in her Christmas address or in her Commonwealth Day message.”

“Elizabeth has been enormously influential. She has taken a great interest in leadership in the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings, has tried to patch up differences between leaders and keep people feeling as though it is relevant for their nation to stay in the Commonwealth”, McCreery added.

A hangover from the colonial past or a useful platform for smaller states?

Although some of the wealthier nations in the Commonwealth, such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, still retain the Queen as their head of state, members in the Caribbean seem keen on breaking with the royal hierarchy. Officials in at least six countries in the Caribbean have indicated they they plan on removing the monarch as their sovereign following Barbados, which became the region’s newest republic at the end of 2021.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited the Caribbean in March in what was widely seen as an attempt to persuade countries not to sever ties with the monarchy. Their visit was met with protests in Belize and in Jamaica, where people called for a formal apology from the royals for the enslavement of Africans and demanded reparations.

Yet, even as smaller states move to reject the monarchy as a symbol of a colonial past to which they no longer wish to be tethered, staying in the Commonwealth could be seen as a way to continue to reap certain benefits under the British crown.

“When Barbados became a republic, it no longer had the Queen as the head of state, but this didn’t change its relationship to the Commonwealth. We don’t see countries leaving the Commonwealth en masse when they become republics,” said McCreery.

“On their own, small states in the Caribbean would have very little leverage in international affairs – so the Commonwealth is the main avenue they have for getting critical mass. The organisation offers a way for smaller states to band together and potentially have more influence regarding issues like climate change. It gives them a global platform to talk about issues of concern to them, find fellow members that share similar experiences, and potentially get wealthier members like Australia to help out in a spirit of friendship,” she added.

“It is significant that 54 nations signed up for it. I think nations feel that there is something in it for them, and that it’s not just a colonial hangover.”

What future for the Commonwealth?

As the monarch celebrates her platinum jubilee, many are asking what the future of the Commonwealth will look like when its strongest champion is succeeded by Prince Charles, who is presently heir to the British throne. The Commonwealth has been criticised as being ineffective, with a poor track record of bringing about major policy changes, and many have suggested that it has perhaps run its course historically.

“The biggest open goal of the Commonwealth is tackling climate change, as many countries in the organisation are likely to suffer greatly due to its effects. The organisation could really have a role to play, for instance by supporting countries to move away from carbon to net zero emissions,” said Prescott.

“Prince Charles has always showed a strong interest in climate change, so this may make him appealing to members of the Commonwealth. But this may require rethinking the shape of the Commonwealth — its resources and capabilities. There hasn’t really been political will to scale it up. It might as well be that it has been superseded by other international organisations and alliances, like the G20”, he adds.

“I bet that Charles will be much more interventionist for issues like the environment and youth affairs,” McCreery predicted. “Charles may actually have the ability to get more done than Elizabeth, as he has significant experience working with organisations that are campaigning in these areas.”

For the historian, the Commonwealth has a future and potential that is not necessarily tied to the Queen. It is a future model of the Commonwealth that may be gathering pace. In recent days, speculation has arisen that Australia may be the next Commonwealth nation to become a republic after the new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, appointed an Assistant Minister for the Republic.

“I think that more members of the Commonwealth will become republics, but that is more linked to their constitutional relationship to Britain rather than membership in the organisation. I’m sure many states would see it as a good organisation to be a part of, even if it’s only as a backup. The Commonwealth has potential, although I am not sure if it will reach it.”

For British conservatives, further engagement with the Commonwealth could help the UK achieve Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “Global Britain” strategy, which consists of reconnecting with “old friends and new allies” in a post-Brexit world. Yet the success of this aspect of the country’s foreign policy remains to be seen.

Source: France 24

The head of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, will speak with President Vladimir Putin in the southwestern Russian city of Sochi on Friday, Dakar said.

The visit is aimed at “freeing up stocks of cereals and fertilisers, the blockage of which particularly affects African countries”, along with easing the Ukraine conflict, Sall’s office said Thursday.

The visit was organised after an invitation by Putin, and Sall will travel with the president of the African Union Commission, his office added.

The AU will also receive a video address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, though no date has been set.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad made a visit to his closest regional ally Iran and met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Sunday, Iranian state media reported.

Assad, who was making his second trip to Tehran since the start of Syria’s war in 2011, also met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during his trip, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said during a visit to Damascus in March that Iran’s priority was to strengthen strategic ties with Syria in a changing global scene after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Assad was able to turn the tide of Syria’s civil war, which erupted from pro-democracy protests in 2011, with crucial help from Iran’s proxy militias and Moscow’s major military intervention in 2015.

Iran’s economic influence in Syria has grown in recent years, supplying Assad’s government with credit lines and winning lucrative business contracts.

Source: REUTERS

US President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre as the next White House press secretary, the first Black woman to hold the high-profile post.

Jean-Pierre, who will also be the first openly LGBTQ+ person in the role, will replace Jen Psaki, under whom she served as deputy, from May 13, according to a White House statement.

Biden praised Jean-Pierre’s “experience, talent and integrity” in the statement, saying he was “proud” to announce her appointment.

“She will be the first black woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as the White House Press Secretary,” Psaki tweeted after the announcement.

“Representation matters and she will give a voice to many, but also make many dream big about what is truly possible,” added Psaki, who is due to join MSNBC after her departure, according to US media reports.

Jean-Pierre, 44, worked on both of former president Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012 and then on Biden’s campaign in 2020 before joining Biden’s team at the White House.

She also served under Biden during his tenure as Obama’s vice president.

Jean-Pierre was previously Chief Public Affairs Officer for liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org and worked as a political analyst with NBC and MSNBC, the White House statement said.

Raised in New York, she was born in Martinique to Haitian parents who emigrated to the United States.

A graduate of the prestigious Columbia University, Jean-Pierre has often said her family’s background, emblematic of the “American dream,” was a determining factor in her career.

She has a daughter with her partner, a journalist with CNN.

Source: AFP

President Joe Biden is not planning to visit Kyiv, despite Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky urging him to demonstrate US support for the fight against Russia by traveling to the embattled capital, the White House said Monday.

“There’s no plans for the president to go. Let me just reiterate that,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

A string of European leaders have made the trip to Kyiv and met with Zelensky.

However, a Biden visit would present a more complex security challenge. The Biden administration has said it instead wants to send a high-ranking official, most likely Secretary of State Antony Blinken or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Last week, Biden said “we’re making that decision,” although he muddied the waters by responding “yeah” when asked by a reporter whether he might go.

Psaki made clear Monday that “if anyone were to go… we wouldn’t outline from here or anywhere from the government who, if and when for security reasons.”

Biden’s chief spokeswoman also confirmed that there are hopes of reopening the US embassy in Kyiv, although she gave no timeline.

“That certainly is our objective. Obviously having a diplomatic presence on the ground is important,” Psaki said.

In an interview aired by CNN on Sunday, Zelensky said “I think” Biden will visit, “but it’s his decision, of course, and about the safety situation, it depends.”

“I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he should come here to see.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised Biden’s backing so far for his country in an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS and said a visit by the US leader would “be an important message of support.”

“A personal meeting between two presidents could also pave the way for new supplies and of… US weapons to Ukraine and also for discussions on the possible political settlement of this conflict,” he added.

Source: AFP