Biden rallies allies, partners for continued Ukraine support

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Joe Biden convened on Thursday a virtual meeting of US allies and partners to stress the importance of maintaining international aid for Ukraine while simultaneously continuing to impose costs on Russia.

During the meeting, Biden addressed with the leaders and representatives of nine countries and NATO "Russia's weaponization of energy and the need for further coordination to secure sustainable and affordable energy supplies for Europe," the White House said in a statement.

He stressed the need of continuing to provide Kyiv with security and economic assistance, it added.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Premier Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Polish President Andrzej Duda, UK Premier Liz Truss, and French and EU representatives, were in attendance.

Biden conveyed directly to Truss that he and first lady Jill Biden "are thinking very much of the Queen, and the people in the United Kingdom," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters during an online briefing.

Queen Elizabeth died on Thursday after Buckingham Palace announced that she was placed under "medical supervision" at Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.