Berlin, Washington One day before his officially announced visit to Poland, US President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to Ukraine. In the capital Kiev he met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday.
Both commemorated the Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war with Russia, which began with the Russian attack almost a year ago. An air alert was sounded shortly after Biden’s arrival.
Biden announced new sanctions against Russia – and also half a billion US dollars in additional aid for Ukraine. According to the US President, the package will contain more military equipment, including artillery ammunition and howitzers.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, who was accompanying Biden, called reporters in Washington from Kiev. The US government informed the Kremlin in advance about the trip, he said. The US President left Kyiv around 1 p.m. local time. Sullivan initially gave no information on possible deliveries of long-range missiles or fighter jets. For security reasons, the United States kept Biden’s trip a secret for a long time.
The visit took place shortly before the first anniversary of the start of the war on February 24, 2022, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
“We’re not going” – Biden pledges further support
Biden landed in Kiev on Monday morning and arrived at the Mariinsky Palace around 8:30 a.m. local time, where he was greeted by Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska. “Thanks for coming,” Zelenski said as he shook Biden’s hand in greeting. “More importantly, how are the kids?” Biden asked. Shortly before Christmas, Selensky had flown to Washington, on his first trip abroad since the beginning of the war.
It’s not just about freedom in Ukraine. It’s about the freedom of democracy in general. US President Joe Biden during his visit to Kiev
The purpose of his visit was to reassure Zelensky that the US is “here to stay”. Biden emphasized: “We are not going. There must be no doubt about US support for Ukraine in the war.”
In the palace’s White Hall, which is often used for press conferences, Biden signed a guest book. “It’s so important that you’re here,” Zelensky said. “Thank you for coming, Mr. President, at a great moment for Ukraine.”
Joe Biden makes a surprise trip to Kyiv
Biden underscored that there was broad, bipartisan support for the Ukrainian resistance in Washington. “Despite all the disagreements in Congress, there is a significant consensus in support of Ukraine,” he said. “It’s not just about freedom in Ukraine. It’s about the freedom of democracy in general.”
Biden was referring to some US Republicans in Congress who want to block aid to Ukraine. The US has provided or pledged nearly $30 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the war began.
US support
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The United States has provided or promised roughly 10,000 military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
Public support has also fallen recently, but Biden assured: “Many have closed the Ukrainian people in their prayers, especially women and children.” And continued: “You cannot imagine that everything from orphanages to schools, is shot at. It’s barbaric.”
Long-range missiles under discussion?
The US President underscored his admiration “for the people of Ukraine … ordinary, hard-working citizens who have never been trained in the military. They are beyond heroic.” The American people know that “uncontrolled aggression is a threat to all of us.”
Selenski was grateful. “This conversation brings us closer to victory,” he said. According to the Ukrainian president, the teams from the two governments also discussed the delivery of long-range missiles. Zelensky later added that he and Biden discussed “long-range weapons and the weapons that may be delivered to Ukraine in the future.”
Zelensky said the visit was a “clear signal that Russia’s attempts at a new offensive will not stand a chance.” So far, the US has refused to supply American long-range missiles capable of penetrating deep into Russian territory. Washington wants to avoid being drawn directly into a military conflict.
The US President is also likely to talk about the country’s plans for further arms deliveries.
(Photo: AP)
Only on Friday did Zelensky appeal to the participants of the Munich Security Conference to give the Ukrainian “David” the necessary tools so that the Russian “Goliath” did not win the war.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced in Munich that Britain would be the first country to provide Ukraine with longer-range weapons. Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he was willing to provide Mig-29 fighter jets, provided other countries also supplied jets and the United States went along with it.
Europeans are keen to keep the United States on board because American nuclear weapons provide a credible deterrent to Russia.
Shortly before Biden’s departure, US lawmakers from the Republicans and Democrats called on the president to approve the use of F-16 fighter jets. “The F-16s are an absolute must,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said at the Munich Security Conference.
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US Vice President Kamala Harris had sharply condemned the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in Munich. She accused the Kremlin of “systematic attacks on the civilian population” and “cruel acts of murder, torture, rape and deportation”. Those responsible for the brutal attack must be held accountable.
In Kiev, Biden now underlined that the pressure on Russia must be maintained. Western sanctions would “squeeze Russia’s economic lifelines”. Russia’s goal is “to wipe Ukraine off the map,” Biden said, but “Putin’s war of conquest is failing.” He pointed out that the Russian military has lost half of the territory it once occupied and that people are fleeing “because they see no future in their country”.
Air sirens and soldiers accompany Biden’s visit
Russia’s economy is “isolated and suffering,” Biden said. “Putin considered Ukraine weak and the West divided,” he added. “He thought he could outlive us. I don’t think he thinks that now. He was just wrong,” Biden said of Putin. “A year later, the evidence is right here in this room. We stand here together.”
Both heads of state also visited St. Michael’s Cathedral, which with its gold dome in the center of Kiev has become a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance.
Air raid sirens could be heard across the city as Biden and Zelenski exited the church. Immediately in front of it, uniformed Ukrainian military officers lined the street. Biden and Zelenski together laid a wreath at the memorial wall for the fallen heroes of the war.
During his visit to Kiev, Biden recalled that he had “warned the world that Putin would attack.” And Zelenskiy also acknowledged the leadership role of the United States. The first call came from Washington on the day the war broke out. “That will be remembered forever,” said Selenski.
Biden said that at the time, “Russian planes were in the air and tanks were flying over your border. You told me you could hear explosions in the background. I will never forget that. The world was about to change. You said you don’t know when we can talk again,” he said to Zelensky.
“Americans are with you and the world is with you”
But even if the war is not over, there is reason for hope, said the US President. “On that dark night a year ago, the world was literally preparing for the fall of Kiev. Maybe even the end of Ukraine. A year later Kyiv is standing. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. Americans are with you and the world is with you.”
For security reasons, the White House was delayed in sharing information about the visit. The only American media to accompany the US President were the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal.
The White House spoke of an “extremely difficult preparation” for the trip. Unlike wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, in which the US was directly involved, the US would have no military presence in Ukraine. “That was a risk President Biden was willing to take.”
If Biden travels to Poland, the US President wants to underline “the transatlantic unity and his iron support for our allies”. Biden had already visited Poland in March last year, shortly after the start of the war.
Biden plans talks in the Polish capital Warsaw on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the White House, a meeting with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and a speech in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw are planned.
On Wednesday, Biden will meet with the heads of state and government of the so-called “Bucharest Nine”, the NATO countries in Eastern Europe. The group was founded in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea.
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