US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv and met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a high-profile show of solidarity as Russia’s invasion nears the one-year mark.
(Bloomberg) — US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv and met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a high-profile show of solidarity as Russia’s invasion nears the one-year mark.
Biden, who was originally slated to visit neighboring Poland this week, appeared in the Ukrainian capital on Monday as reports of police sealing off main streets in the city began to swell on social media.
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While Biden was still in Kyiv, a massive air raid alarm went off there and elsewhere across the country — an every-day occurrence in the war-torn nation. There were no immediate reports of any missile launches or explosions.
“You remind us that freedom is priceless,” Biden said in a speech in Kyiv. “It’s worth fighting for as long as it takes. And that’s how long we’re going to be with you, Mr. President. For as long as it takes.”
Biden said he will pledge another $500 million in aid to Ukraine “today or tomorrow.” The package will include artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars, Biden said.
“Later this week we’ll announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade sanctions and back the Russian war machine,” he added.
Zelenskiy said he and Biden had also discussed the issue of long-range weapons, but gave no further details.
Following his visit to Kyiv, Biden will travel to Poland to meet President Andrzej Duda and other US allies from NATO’s eastern flank, according to the statement.
The Ukrainian part of Biden’s trip, which Zelenskiy’s administration had long requested, was planned quickly and in secret and only revealed to reporters upon his arrival. White House aides for the past week insisted that no such visit was planned, despite Biden’s proximity to the country.
This is the first time the US president has traveled to the country since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and he is one of the last major allies to do so after many of Biden’s Group of Seven counterparts visited Kyiv over the past year. The last US president to visit Ukraine was George W. Bush in 2008.
Biden is in Ukraine as Zelenskiy pressures allies for additional weapons and underscores the need to deliver them quickly.
Ukraine’s military is now facing stepped-up attacks from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces in the east in pitched battles that are ratcheting up the death toll in Europe’s biggest open conflict since World War II.
“Mister President I know that a large package of military support is expected, and right now such a package is a clear signal that Russia’s attempts at revenge will have no chances,” Zelenskiy said in a speech.
The White House is also warning Beijing against providing lethal aid to Russia after US officials revealed concerns about intelligence that China is considering doing so. Officials have not said what the consequences would be for Beijing but that they consider it a red line that must not be crossed.
–With assistance from Jenny Leonard and Iain Rogers.
(Updates with Biden speech starting in fourth paragraph.)
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