In A Phone Call With Zelenskyy, Biden Pledges "Support" For Russia And Ukraine

At the White House, President Joe Biden hosts a virtual discussion on securing vital minerals.

In a phone discussion with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just after Russia launched a nighttime invasion of Ukraine, US Vice President Joe Biden pledged "support and aid."

During the call, Biden stated that the US will "continue to provide support and assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people."

He denounced Russian military forces' "unprovoked and unjustified strike."

Zelenskyy asked Washington to "call on the leaders of the world to speak out unambiguously" against Russian President Vladimir Putin's "flagrant actions," according to a statement released by the US president.

Biden had previously stated that he will meet with his G7 counterparts on Thursday to lay out additional punitive measures against Russia, and that the US and its partners would act "uniformly and decisively" and "impose significant sanctions on Russia."

In his opening comments, Biden added, "President Putin has chosen a deliberate conflict that will result in a terrible loss of life and human misery."

Al Jazeera's Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from Washington, DC, said the US president is set to announce a "full array of measures," adding that the White House had indicated earlier on Wednesday that "no financial institution in Russia would be protected from these prospective sanctions."

The White House has not provided any additional information on the anticipated actions.

Following the Russian strike, Biden has been under pressure for weeks to increase penalties against Moscow, with lawmakers in Congress expressing rare bipartisan support for such an escalation.

"The president is receiving bipartisan support in Congress." It's becoming increasingly rare to hear statements from senators of both parties declaring that the US and its allies must respond to Russian aggression in a decisive and catastrophic manner," Zhou-Castro remarked.