Biden assures Zelenskiy that NATO membership in Ukraine's hands, Kyiv says

FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with the country's service members at the combat positions near the line of separation from Russian-backed rebels on the Day of the Armed Forces in the Donetsk region, Ukraine December 6, 2021. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Kyiv's bid to join the NATO military alliance was in its own hands, Zelenskiy's chief of staff said after the two leaders spoke on Thursday.

Biden and Zelenskiy had a call two days after Biden held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to defuse a crisis over Russian troop movements near Ukraine's borders.