HOT TAKE: White House Meeting of US & Ukraine Presidents

“By late Wednesday afternoon, it was abundantly clear that Zelensky hadn’t received two of the most important asks from the US: sanctioning of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and support for NATO membership. However the Ukrainian leader can travel back home to a skeptical public with sufficient promises of support to spin a positive narrative. ”

After at least three delays, the long-awaited White House meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States took place Wednesday.

The meeting of Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky marked the first time in more than four years that a Ukrainian President is hosted at the White House.

But even before the bilateral Oval Office meeting wrapped up, White House press secretary Jen Psaki made it clear that the U.S. is not yet prepared to back one of Zelensky’s key demands - Ukraine’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance.

There are specific steps the Ukrainians need to take towards NATO membership, Psaki said at a Wednesday press briefing. These steps include rule of law reform, defense sector modernization and economic expansion, she said.

Before commencing their closed door meeting, Biden voiced support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and its path towards Euro-Atlantic integration. He said talks will cover the ongoing fight against Covid-19, and he promised more help beyond the 2.2- million Covid vaccines the US has donated to Ukraine via the COVAX program. The U.S. leader said he’d like to return to Ukraine and cited the $60M defense support package from the U.S.

For his part, Zelensky said top of his agenda are the many security issues facing Ukraine - including in the occupied Donbas, Crimea and on the Black Sea and Azov Sea. Also energy security for Ukraine and Europe amid completion of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will allow Russian gas exports to bypass Ukraine directly into Europe. The Ukrainian leader also wanted to discuss Ukraine’s entry into NATO, and its economic transformation.

Zelensky also asked Biden for US help for the release of at least 450 Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia and Russian-backed proxies. A complete list had been handed to the US side.

By late Wednesday afternoon, it was abundantly clear that Zelensky hadn’t received two of the most important asks from the US: sanctioning of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and support for NATO membership. However the Ukrainian leader can travel back home to a skeptical public with sufficient promises of support to spin a positive narrative.

Earlier, a senior administration official told journalists that Biden has already spoken with Zelensky twice by phone in April and in June, and that the latter call came several weeks before the President met with President Putin in person in Geneva.

After that meeting, the administration released a comprehensive joint statement that “articulates our shared values and our strategic priorities, as well as a list of concrete deliverables touching on every aspect of our bilateral relationship.” In it, the U.S. and Ukraine announced the reinvigoration of the Strategic Partnership Commission. This commission has not met in three years, and the charter for the commission was written in 2008. It cited Biden’s approval for a new $60 million security assistance package for Ukraine. Also announced was a strategic defense framework - covering Black Sea security, cyber and intelligence sharing, as well as continued support for Ukraine as it faces continuing Russian aggression.

The $60 million package for includes Javelin anti-armor systems and other "defensive lethal and nonlethal capabilities,” the official said.

The US has already provided Ukraine with nearly $2 billion in development assistance since 2014. “And we have plans to allocate over $463 million in assistance this year alone.”

Secretary Lloyd Austin met a day earlier with Zelensky and his minister of defense at the Pentagon.

For Ukrainian officials the timing of the re-scheduled visit probably couldn’t be worse as the White House is still grappling with a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and with Washington in a deep summer coma.

“For Biden, the chance to achieve a badly-needed major foreign policy win with the Ukraine file has been missed. A grand gesture that would have demonstrated US hubris on the international stage could have gone a long way to repair the administration’s image after the abrupt exit from Afghanistan. ”

And for Biden, the chance to achieve a badly-needed major foreign policy win with the Ukraine file has been missed. A grand gesture that would have demonstrated US hubris on the international stage could have gone a long way to repair the administration’s image after the abrupt exit from Afghanistan. Even a joint press conference at the White House would have served to elevate the visit, at least from the Ukrainian point of view.

A few months ago, in a CNN Opinion OpEd, I outlined several steps Biden could take to not only assist Ukraine but also to demonstrate the US commitment to promoting democracy globally. They include: immediate appointment of a senior career diplomat to the US Embassy in Kyiv, taking the lead in reinvigorating stalled peace efforts in the region, and naming an envoy that could embark on shuttle diplomacy to bring about a lasting ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

I’ve also said many time publicly that a weak US response to Ukraine could further push an important ally into the embrace of China (which has been providing the bulk of Ukraine’s Covid-19 vaccines).

“Biden needs to act quickly to salvage America's reputation overseas, lest the void be filled by other world leaders less interested in the promotion of values we hold so dear,” I wrote in the OpEd.

“Care to wager a guess as to which foreign leaders might want to seize on that vacuum?”