Live updates: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Joe Biden, US Congress in first international visit since Russia’s invasion
The ABC’s North America correspondent Carrington Clarke is in Washington covering today’s meeting between the two leaders.
He says there’s a few takeaways from the closing lines of Mr Biden’s press conference.
Carrington: Joe Biden has been renowned throughout his decades long career for his ability to gaffe with the best of them.
While his staffers may hate it when he goes off the script of their carefully produced lines, journalists love it as it often gives an insight into what’s going on behind the scenes. Stripping out the diplomatic talk to reveal the unvarnished truth.
In finishing today’s media conference, he’s done it again. As he said himself “ there’s more to say, but I’ve probably already said too much”
What he’d said, in response to a question about why Ukraine couldn’t just have all the weapons it wanted now, is that he is currently restrained by other allies.
“The idea that we would give Ukraine material that is fundamentally different than is already going there would have a prospect of breaking up NATO and breaking up the European Union and the rest of the world”
It’s no secret that some countries in Europe, notably Germany and to a lesser extent France, have urged caution in the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Worried that it might escalate the war with Russia to something broader.
Joe Biden says Russia has failed to break the western alliance but he’s also made clear that there are points of friction. Probably not the best note to end the media conference on.