Biden invites Zelensky to visit White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden held a phone call on Monday, June 7, during which the U.S. leader invited his Ukrainian counterpart to visit the White House this summer.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said this at a press briefing at the White House on June 7, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"I have come into this briefing room from the Oval Office where President Biden was on the phone with President Zelensky of Ukraine," Sullivan said.

He said that this was a phone call that they had been planning to make in advance of President Biden going to Europe and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

"They had the opportunity to talk at some length about all of the issues in the U.S.-Ukraine relationship. And President Biden was able to tell President Zelensky that he will stand up firmly for Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and its aspirations, as we go forward," Sullivan said.

According to him, Biden also told Zelensky that "he looks forward to welcoming him to the White House, here in Washington, this summer after he [Biden] returns from Europe."

Zelensky, in turn, thanked Biden for the phone call and said he looked forward to meeting with the U.S. president.

Zelensky and Biden had their first phone call on April 2.

Biden plans to visit Europe next week, where he will take part in the G7, NATO and US-EU summits. In addition, the U.S. and Russian presidents are due to meet in Switzerland on June 16.