US President Joe Biden made a surprise stopover in kyiv on Monday, ahead of a planned trip to Poland four days before the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Against the wishes of the Secret Service and the Pentagon, Biden arrived in the beleaguered capital following a covert operation to cover up his whereabouts. Biden reportedly had dinner with his wife on Saturday in Washington, DC and then left quietly.
Biden then took a one-hour train ride from the Polish border to reach the Ukrainian capital. Many gathered in Heaven’s Hundred Square, which was barricaded and surrounded by military and police, to spot Biden. Kyiv’s main road was also closed, giving way to traffic jams in the city.
Air raid sirens sounded in the capital as Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left St. Michael’s Cathedral in central Kyiv.
Learn more: In the world of Zelensky
The visit came as Ukraine marked Heavenly Hundred Heroes Day, which commemorates the 107 lives lost by those who fought in anti-government protests in 2014 that Ukrainians call the Revolution of Dignity. The unrest prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin, concerned about Ukraine’s move west, to annex Crimea and back separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.
The White House’s public schedule for Biden showed him as in Washington through Monday night, when he would depart for Poland. While it was rumored that Biden could meet with Zelensky near Poland’s border with Ukraine or in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, no such arrangement had been confirmed.
This considerable effort can only be read as a major demonstration of American support for Ukraine. In a statement released on Monday, Biden said his visit was aimed at “reaffirming our unwavering and unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
He added: “When Putin launched his invasion almost a year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could survive us. But he was wrong. »
The statement announced that the United States would provide additional military assistance, including artillery munitions, anti-armour systems and air surveillance radars to better defend Ukrainian skies. He also said new sanctions would be imposed on companies and individuals who aid Russia’s war efforts.
Zelensky greeted the visit with an Instagram post of him shaking hands with Biden. “Joseph Biden, welcome to Kyiv! Your visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians,” the caption read.
Biden is due to meet Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday morning and deliver a speech from Warsaw Castle the same day. The speech is expected to promise additional support for Ukraine and strengthen the NATO alliance.
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1 comment
magine as a black woman your son in jail for years or perhaps life while Joe Biden’s son smoked crack, bought whores, got paid thousands a month for a job in UKRAINE he wasn’t qualified, with US tax payer money and tax funded secret service protection. Wow. Talk about white rich privilege, because anyone with a brain could surmise there are poor white people being unfairly smashed down, right? So this isn’t about being black or white. This is about white and black and whatever race being RICH and PRIVILEGED. And to take it even further, how about this…when we die Jesus, who is LORD, won’t ask you if you’re black, white, etc..He will ask you, DID YOU KNOW ME? If you don’t you are going to hell…omgosh did he/she/they/them say we she it we you they are going to hell? Yes, pronouns truth, reality and wake the f up. There are only TWO people in this world. children of GOD and children of the devil. Which one are YOU? And while Biden in Ukraine, so many Americans suffering. But you do you bu…vote for Biden. To your own demise. Brilliant. Clownworld alert.