Russia's attack on the Kharkiv region in Ukraine has stalled and is unlikely to advance further, the White House said Friday.
The arrival of U.S. weapons helped turn the tide in favor of Ukraine in Kharkiv, on which Russia began an attack in mid-May, said John Kirby, White House national security spokesperson.
"They have been able to thwart Russian advances, particularly around Kharkiv," Kirby said. "The Russians really have kind of stalled out up there. Their advance on Kharkiv is all but over because they ran into the first line of defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and basically stopped, if not pulled back, some units."
The news comes amid a meeting between President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France. Biden apologized for congressional delays in approving the latest U.S. aid package, and announced a fresh $225 million tranche of aid to help Ukraine restore its electrical grid.
The meeting was their first face-to-face encounter since Zelenskyy visited Washington in December, when the two pressed Republicans to overcome opposition in their party to more support for Ukraine.
They will meet again next week at a G7 summit in Italy, as Western nations discuss using Russian assets frozen after the Ukraine invasion to provide $50 billion for Ukraine.
Russia attacked Kharkiv as legislation in Congress to provide more aid to Ukraine was in the process of being approved, hoping to gain an advantage. Ukraine is still defending against Russia in eastern Donetsk and Luhansk.
Last week, Biden shifted his position and decided Ukraine could launch U.S.-supplied weapons at military targets inside Russia that are supporting the Kharkiv offensive.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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