Biden Invites Ukrainian Leader to U.S. as Putin Summit Nears

  • U.S. president and Zelenskiy hold second phone call this year
  • Tensions between Ukraine and Russia spiked in recent months
Volodymyr ZelenskiyPhotographer: Alexey Furman/Bloomberg
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Joe Biden invited his opposite number in Ukraine to visit the White House this summer -- part of efforts to reassure the eastern European country before the U.S. president meets Vladimir Putin in Geneva next week.

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia -- high since Putin annexed Crimea in 2014 and fomented a war nearby -- spiked in April as the Kremlin stationed tens of thousands of troops on its neighbor’s border and raised the threat of an invasion.