(Kyiv) United States President Joe Biden is on an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
This gesture of solidarity comes a few days before the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The White House chief quietly left Andrews Army Base near Washington shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday, stopping at an airbase in Germany before heading to Ukraine.
President Biden announced $500 million in additional US aid on Monday and sought to reassure Ukraine of his country’s support as the conflict continues.
Many observers believe the war is set to escalate as both sides prepare for the spring offensives. President Zelensky is also urging his allies to speed up the delivery of promised weapons systems and calls on the West to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine, which the United States has so far refused to do. .
President Biden’s visit to Ukraine gives him the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the devastation wrought by the Russian invasion. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed, millions of refugees have fled the war, and Ukraine has suffered tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure damage.
This is Joe Biden’s first visit to a war zone as president. His recent predecessors, Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, made surprise visits to Afghanistan and Iraq during their presidencies to meet with US troops and those countries’ leaders.