Joe Biden makes unannounced visit to Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
It only seems appropriate that on President’s Day 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden would pick today to make a surprise visit to Kyiv in war-torn Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials in the region. Biden’s unannounced visit was designed to mark the upcoming one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “as the United States signals its ongoing support ahead of the anniversary of Russia’s invasion,” according to ABC News.
As the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong. ~ Joe Biden, Feb. 20, 2023
In Kyiv, Biden could be seen at the Mariinsky Palace where he spoke to the media along with Zelenskyy. NBC News reported that Biden’s visit was kept secret out of security concerns, “as Russia continued firing missiles into the country hoping to break an impasse as the war enters its second year. Air raid sirens sounded while Biden was on the ground.”
Today, in Kyiv, I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine. I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments. And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine. Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support – and that support will endure. ~ Joe Biden, Feb. 20, 2023
Today’s visit is also the first time Biden has visited Ukraine since Russia invaded their neighbor almost one-year ago. In addition to the new sanctions the U.S. would soon be levying upon Russia, the resources Biden has promised to Zelenskyy includes one half-billion dollars in new assistance, with that U.S. assistance to also include “more military equipment, such as artillery ammunition, more javelins and Howitzers,” according to CNN.
I also look forward to traveling on to Poland to meet President Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies, as well as deliver remarks on how the United States will continue to rally the world to support the people of Ukraine and the core values of human rights and dignity in the UN Charter that unite us worldwide. ~ Joe Biden, Feb. 20, 2023
During his remarks earlier today, Biden also said, “One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands.”
Biden’s visit to war-torn Ukraine comes just days after U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris announced Saturday in Germany that Russia had committed and is guilty of crimes against humanity during the war. Those war crimes might also add some weight to the future sanctions against Russia that Biden spoke of today.
For more on Biden’s 2023 President’s Day visit to Ukraine, see the video accompanying this article.
(Cover photo: Biden and Zelenskyy, Image credit: Twitter)
(Source: The White House)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook. Twitter & Instagram
