President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Ukraine respects U.S. President Joe Biden's "difficult but strong decision" to withdraw his candidacy for reelection.
Biden, who is 81, on July 21 dropped his bid for reelection in November and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's nominee amid an erosion of support over concerns about his fitness to run because of his age.
"Ukraine is grateful to President Biden for his unwavering support for Ukraine's fight for freedom, which, along with strong bipartisan support in the United States, has been and continues to be critical," Zelenskiy wrote on X on July 22.
Under Biden's leadership, the United States has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia's unprovoked invasion and its main provider of military and financial aid.
In what is likely to be one of his enduring legacies as president, Biden was able to quickly unite allies to support Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in military and financial support after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"Many strong decisions have been made in recent years and they will be remembered as bold steps taken by President Biden in response to challenging times. And we respect today's tough but strong decision," Zelenskiy wrote.
"We will always be thankful for President Biden's leadership. He supported our country during the most dramatic moment in history, assisted us in preventing Putin from occupying our country, and has continued to support us throughout this terrible war."
Former President Donald Trump, who is vying for reelection as the Republican Party's candidate, has repeatedly said that if he was elected president again, he would end the war Russia launched against Ukraine.
Trump repeated the pledge on July 19 in a phone call with Zelenskiy that both men described as good.
Harris has strengthened her international profile during her three years in office and represented the United States at Ukraine's peace summit in Switzerland last month.
In his statement, Zelenskiy voiced hope that Washington would remain at the helm of the Western allies' support for Ukraine's response to Russia's aggression and would not abandon Ukraine.
"The current situation in Ukraine and all of Europe is no less challenging, and we sincerely hope that America's continued strong leadership will prevent Russian evil from succeeding or making its aggression pay off," Zelenskiy said.
