Before meeting with Putin Biden invites Ukrainian
president to the White House On 16 June, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will meet in Geneva. Criticism of this came from Ukraine, from President Volodymyr Selenskyj. The reaction followed promptly. As recently as Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj had complained that US President Joe Biden would have done better to consult with him before meeting Putin. A phone call between Biden and Selenskyj followed, and the American invited his Ukrainian counterpart to visit the White House. Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden had reiterated US support for "the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Ukraine in a phone call with Selenskyj. He also said he was looking forward to welcoming Selenskyj to the White House this summer. More on the topic Before summit in Geneva: Biden wants to urge Putin to respect human rights Biden wants to urge Putin to respect human rights End of Russian observation flights: Putin signs withdrawal from Open Skies agreement Putin signs withdrawal from Open Skies agreement Biden will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva next week. Ukraine had criticised the timing of the meeting and the waiver of sanctions against the company operating the controversial Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline. The Ukrainian army has been fighting pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country since 2014. Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of supporting the separatists, which Moscow denies.