US President Joe Biden paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine on the afternoon of February 20. In Kiev, he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy . At the same time, an air raid alert sounded in the Ukrainian capital. Biden spent several hours in Kiev and quickly left the city for a planned visit to Poland. RTVI tells what is known about the historic trip of the American president to Ukraine.
Biden’s visit was first reported by attorney Mark Feigin* and Ukrainian media. In social networks there were also reports of blocked streets in Kiev. Soon Strana and other publications published a photo of Biden and Zelenskyy near St. Michael’s Cathedral. “The Ukrainian Truth” writing that the American leader came to the temple to honor the memory of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. At the same time, there were reports of an air raid in Kiev. A video has been posted on social media in which Zelenskyy and Biden march to the sound of sirens.Zelenskyy quickly confirmed Biden’s visit by posting a photo of them together. “Joseph Biden, welcome to Kiev! Your visit is a very important show of support for all Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian president wrote on his Telegram channel.Biden tweeted that he was in Kiev to reaffirm “our unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity.” He noted that over the past year, the United States has created a “coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific” to help Ukraine defend itself.
news from the nbc transmits that Biden’s visit to Kiev is the first time in modern history that a US president has visited a war zone where there is no active US military presence.
secret trip
The trip of the President of the United States was not announced in advance. From February 20 to 22, the anniversary of the start of the Russian operation in Ukraine, Biden was to visit Poland. local edition Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reported that he would probably meet Zelenskyy there. However, at the White House denied .
CNN Remarks that Biden’s trip to Kiev “was shrouded in mystery”. On the evening of February 18, the president had dinner in Washington with his wife, after which he was seen in public only on Monday morning, when he was already in Kiev. According to the outlet, Biden’s plane took off from US Naval Aviation Joint Base Andrews at 4:15 a.m. ET (12:15 p.m. Moscow time) on Sunday, February 19. Journalists who were with the president were not allowed to take electronic devices on board. The New York Times writing that Biden flew to Poland first and arrived in Kiev on Monday morning by train, as did other senior US officials.
Rolling Stone quotes senior White House official informed This discussion of a possible Biden visit to Ukraine began a month ago, when the US president told his team that he wanted to publicly show solidarity with Kiev. According to the source, from a political point of view, this trip “should have taken place”. The publication writes that Biden was presented with “a whole range of options” for the trip. One idea was that Biden and Zelenskyy would meet at a secret location on the Polish-Ukrainian border. Another option is to meet in Lvov in western Ukraine. According to the magazine, Biden personally chose the option of visiting Kiev.
The New York Times notes that Biden’s visit, in terms of secrecy, resembled George W. Bush’s and Barack Obama’s trips to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Along with Biden, Ukraine was notably visited by his national security adviser Jake Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jan O’Malley Dylan and personal assistant Annie Tomasini, write CNN and the New York Times.
The results of the trip
The White House published The statement by Biden, who said that in the opinion of the US president, when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military operation, he thought “Ukraine is weak and the West is divided”. “He thought he could outlast us. But he was damn wrong,” Biden said.
He announced a new supply of military aid to Kiev. The New York Times reports that Biden has pledged an additional $500 million in military aid to Ukraine in the coming days. The aid will include, among other things, artillery ammunition, Javelin anti-tank systems and howitzers.
Press Service of the President of Ukraine
The US president also promised to introduce additional sanctions against people and companies who try to circumvent restrictive measures and support the Russian military operation.
At a press conference following the meeting with Zelenskyy Biden reminded of his telephone conversation with the Ukrainian leader when “Russian planes were in the air and tanks were crossing your border”.
“You told me you heard explosions in the background. I will never forget him. The world was about to change,” Biden said.
According to him, Zelenskyy asked him to unite world leaders and support Ukraine.
“You said you didn’t know when we could talk again. On that dark night a year ago, the world was literally preparing for the fall of Kiev. Maybe even by the end of Ukraine. A year later, Kiev stands tall. And Ukraine is standing. Democracy stands. Americans are with you and the world is with you,” Biden said, adding that Kiev “took a piece of his heart.”
In turn, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the negotiations with Biden “fruitful” and “meaningful”, adding that they “bring Ukraine closer to victory”. According to him, the results of the visit of the American leader “will have an impact on the situation on the battlefield during the liberation of our territories”. He added that he had discussed with Biden long-range weapons and additional weapons, which had not previously been supplied to Kiev.
* registered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia in the register of foreign agents
