President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to Kyiv, Ukraine early Monday. It marks his first to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighboring country nearly a year ago.
The unannounced visit is unprecedented in modern history. Never before has a U.S. president traveled to an active war zone without a large U.S. military presence.
It makes the first time a U.S. president has visited a country at war where the U.S. military does not control the critical infrastructure.
Biden announced new military assistance and incoming sanctions against Moscow. Biden said his trip was to reaffirm the United States “unwavering” support for Ukraine as he declared “Putin’s war of conquest is failing.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the ‘historic’ day.
Biden said the United States would stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and praised their “heroic” fighting. Zelenksiy said he and Biden discussed long-range weapons during the visit. The White House said Biden would announce more sanctions on Russia and military support for Ukraine.
Biden was intently focused on discussing the coming months of fighting when he sat down with Zelensky, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Their talks come at what Sullivan called a “critical juncture” in the war, as Russia prepares for a spring offensive and as Ukraine hopes to retake territory seized over the past 12 months.
The U.S. has hoped to help Ukraine consolidate its battlefield gains, sending steady shipments of arms and ammunition. But what lies ahead remains uncertain, as Russia appears to be regrouping.
Biden arrived in the Ukrainian capital a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to make a major address, expected to set out Russia’s aims for the second year of the invasion he launched on February 24 of last year.
The anniversary has taken on more than symbolic significance, becoming what the West views as motivation for the war’s deadliest phase as Moscow hurls thousands of conscripts and mercenaries into a winter offensive.
Experts say that while there had been widespread speculation among the press corps that President Biden might be planning a trip to Kyiv, the visit still took everyone completely by surprise.
The visit was reportedly meticulously planned over a period of months involving several offices in the White House. Only a handful of people in each building were involved in the planning.
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