Biden, Trudeau: US, Canada won't fail Kyiv

OTTAWA: United States President Joe Biden and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday celebrated the close, "inseparable" relationship between their countries and vowed that they remained committed to defending Ukraine as it tries to repel a Russian invasion with no end in sight.

Biden and Trudeau met just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks for the first time since the start of the war. The Chinese and Russian leaders agreed to deepen economic bonds between their two countries. But Biden argued that Western resolve remains stronger and warned Russia that the US, Canada and their allies would defend "every inch of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) territory." The president also bristled at the notion that Russia has managed to expand a partnership with Beijing that is allowing Moscow to sustain its economy and war effort despite the US lining up an international coalition to economically isolate Russia with a barrage of sanctions. China, however, thus far has refrained from providing Russia weapons since the start of the war, according to the White House.