US President Biden is in Ukraine for the first time since the outbreak of war. He is in capital Kyiv for an unannounced visit. Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky about new arms deliveries, among other things.
For security reasons, Biden’s visit to the country has not been announced. Officially, only a visit to Poland was on Biden’s program. He would land there tomorrow. Zelensky says the US president’s surprise visit to his country is “extremely important” for support for Ukrainians.
Biden is one of Zelensky’s most important partners. He invariably pleads for military aid to the country. The United States has already given tens of billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. In Kyiv, he again pledged half a billion dollars in US aid.
Commemoration
The US supplies additional artillery ammunition, anti-armour systems and air surveillance radars, among other things. Biden has also pledged new Himars missile systems, according to Reuters news agency. The US president also says that he will announce further sanctions against the Russian regime and Russian companies later this week.
Friday marks exactly one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Biden is in Kyiv, among other things, to commemorate this day. “One year later, Kyiv is standing. Ukraine is standing. Democracy is standing,” said the US president.
Together with Ukrainian President Zelensky, Biden walked along the memorial wall in the center of the city. There are thousands of portraits of soldiers who have fallen in the battle with Russia since 2014:
Today is also a symbolic day. Exactly nine years ago, on February 20, 2014, was the bloodiest day of months of pro-European protests. One hundred activists were killed on Maidan Square in Kyiv. Their demonstration was crushed by the riot police of the then pro-Russian president Yanukovych.
The visit to Ukraine comes at an important time in the war. Biden is trying to keep Western allies together in their support for Ukraine.
In the coming period, the war is expected to intensify as both sides prepare for a spring offensive. Zelensky urges allies to accelerate delivery of promised weapons systems. He also calls for fighter jets to be delivered to Ukraine.
