Biden Meets With Zelenskyy on Unannounced Kyiv Visit
US President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday morning, meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital city as air raid sirens wailed across almost the entire country.
President Biden in Kyiv.
📹: Ukraine NOW pic.twitter.com/qPAODAXhKy
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 20, 2023
Images posted online before official confirmation came showed the two presidents walking together on a Kyiv street.
The visit by Biden, who arrived from neighboring Poland where he was on an official visit, comes as Ukraine marks a year since the start of the Russian invasion. It is his first visit to the country since taking office as president in 2021.
The president later tweeted that he was visiting Ukraine “reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
As we approach the anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I'm in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 20, 2023
Speculation that Biden was due to visit began hours before his arrival, due to what was described as an unprecedented level of security in Kyiv.
The BBC reported that Ukrainian security forces had blocked off the area in front of the city’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that locals were told the blockade would remain place “until lunchtime.”
Biden has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since the start of the invasion, sending billions of dollars in aid and materiel as the country battles to repel the invading Russian troops.
