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President Biden thanks Italian prime minister for his response to Putin’s “brutality” in Ukraine war

US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that the ties between their two countries are “stronger” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, APA reports citing CNN.

The President thanked Draghi for his response to the “brutality of Putin,” when the two leaders met at the White House on Tuesday.

“Your cooperation and sometimes at a greater cost than to others to take on Putin and to what’s going on in Ukraine has been really incredible,” Biden told the prime minister. “Italy and the United States have a long history of shared bonds.”

Draghi told Biden he felt those bonds had been strengthened due to the unrest in Europe.

“The ties between our two countries have always been very strong, and if anything, this war in Ukraine made them stronger,” the Italian leader said.

“I agree,” the President responded.

“If Putin ever thought that he could divide us, he failed,” Draghi continued. “There’s no question about that.”

Draghi said that he and Biden would discuss “energy security” and “food security” during their meeting.

“What happened in Ukraine is going to bring a drastic change in (the) European Union,” the Italian prime minister said. “We’ve always been close, now we’re going to be much closer. I know that I can count on your support as a true friend of Europe and of Italy.”

Biden said he believed a strong European Union was “in the interest of the United States.

“Granted,” he added, “that’s competition economically but it’s good. It’s good.”

“Putin really believed he could split us,” Biden said, “and we’ve all stepped up.”

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency