US President Joe Biden made a secretive trip to kyiv on Monday, promising $500 million in fresh arms shipments and “unwavering” US support ahead of the first anniversary of The invasion of Russia.
Air raid sirens sounded in the capital at one point as Biden walked alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in what was the US president’s first visit to the country since Russian troops invaded on February 24, 2022 .
“A year later, Kyiv is up. And Ukraine is up. Democracy is up,” Biden said, speaking alongside Zelensky at the Ukrainian president’s official residence, the Mariinsky Palace.
“I thought it was essential that there be no doubt, no doubt, about American support for Ukraine during the war,” he continued.
Russian President Vladimir “Putin thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us.”
“He just got it wrong,” Biden said, adding, “Putin’s war of conquest is failing.”
The visit was organized under conditions of strict confidentiality.
Biden left Andrews Air Force in the early hours of Sunday.
After handing over their devices, reporters were notified of his presence on Air Force One just 15 minutes before the plane took off.
Artillery, howitzers, javelins
The White House did not say how he finally reached Ukraine, but other foreign leaders traveled to kyiv by train from Poland.
It was the first visit by a US president to Ukraine since 2008.
During the trip, Biden pledged an additional $500 million (468 million euros) in arms deliveries to Ukraine, including artillery ammunition, howitzers and Javelin anti-tank missiles.
It is estimated that Ukraine burns thousands more shells every month than the EU defense industry is currently capable of producing.
The European Union is weighing plans to try to speed up its production and delivery of much-needed munitions to help kyiv’s fight.
Zelensky said he and Biden also discussed the possibility of supplying “long-range weapons” to Ukraine, a longstanding request from Kiev that has been met with reluctance in Washington where there are fears they not be used to strike deep inside Russian territory. .
Zelensky hailed the visit as a key sign of support.
“This conversation brings us closer to victory,” he said, calling the visit and the promise of additional US arms deliveries an “unequivocal signal that Russian attempts to win will not stand a chance.”
After their talks, Biden and Zelensky toured the gold-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral, which has long been a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, and air raid sirens sounded across the city as the two leaders left the church. .
China goes wild
Biden and Zelensky then approached and together laid a wreath at the wall of remembrance for fallen heroes of the Russian-Ukrainian war, as a military salute was played, and the two presidents watched in silence for a few moments.
Biden then visited the US Embassy in Kyiv before leaving the capital, according to a White House pool report.
He is due to arrive in Poland on Tuesday where he is due to deliver a major speech in Warsaw – hours after Putin’s state of the nation address in Moscow will largely focus on the conflict in Ukraine.
Biden’s visit came as Beijing hit out at US claims that China was considering sending weapons to Russia to help him in his war in Ukraine.
“It is the United States, not China, that is constantly shipping weapons to the battlefield,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said when asked about the US claims.
“We urge the United States to seriously reflect on its own actions and do more to improve the situation, promote peace and dialogue, and stop shifting blame and spreading false information,” he said. during a regular press briefing.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also warned China against supplying Russia with weapons for the war in Ukraine, saying: “for us it would be a red line in our relationship”.
According to Norway’s latest estimates, the conflict has injured or killed 180,000 Russian soldiers and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Other Western sources estimate that the war claimed 150,000 casualties on each side.
Russia news
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