US President Joe Biden today, February 20, arrived in Ukraine on an unannounced visit.
He arrived in Kyiv from Poland by train. This is reported by The New York Times.
It is noted that Biden, according to announced plans, is due to arrive in Warsaw tomorrow, February 21 for a two-day visit, and American officials have repeatedly brushed off questions about whether he can also visit Ukraine while in Europe.
The White House on Sunday evening released a schedule for Monday, according to which the president is still in Washington and leaves for Warsaw in the evening, although in fact he was already half a world away from him, the newspaper notes.
Biden, who has made U.S. support for Ukraine the centerpiece of his case for resuming the alliance in Europe, told advisers he wants to commemorate the first anniversary of the invasion to reassure allies that his administration remains committed.
The plane carrying Biden took off from Washington at 4:15 a.m. Sunday, US East Coast time. Flying with him:
- several reporters who promised secrecy and were deprived of their phones;
- national security adviser Jake Sullivan;
- Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O’Malley Dillon;
- Oval Office operations director Annie Tomasini.
After the transatlantic flight to Poland, Biden crossed the border by train and traveled almost 10 hours to Kyiv, like other US officials in recent months, because it is dangerous to fly into the war zone, sources told the publication.
It was a rough ride for the 80-year-old president, who nonetheless looked inspired to come in person. Wearing a blue suit with a blue and yellow striped tie in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, Biden arrived in Kyiv at 8 a.m. local time. “I am happy to be back in Kyiv,” he told Ambassador Bridget Brink, who was waiting for him.
After that, the cortege with the US President drove through the streets of the city, cleared of local traffic, to the Mariinsky Palace, where he was met by the President of Ukraine.
The air raid that accompanied Biden’s visit was triggered by a Russian fighter jet taking off whose missile could have hit a target in Kyiv in less than 20 minutes.
Biden was scheduled to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda tomorrow morning, followed by a speech at Warsaw Castle. It is not yet known whether his schedule will change due to a visit to Kyiv.
Source: The New York Times
Source: Racurs
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