On Feb. 20, U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise appearance in Kyiv, Ukraine. This is the first time Biden has visited Ukraine since the start of the country’s war with Russia, almost a year prior.
The visit marks the first time in modern history that a U.S. president has visited an active war zone outside of U.S. military involvement.
During his meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace, Biden announced $500 million in new assistance for Ukraine in their conflict with Russia. According to Biden, this will include artillery ammunition, javelins, and Howitzers. He also claimed new sanctions will be imposed on Russia within the coming week.
“One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands,” Biden said.
“This week, we’ll be marking one year of our fight against Russia’s aggression, so it’s very symbolic that we solidify our resilience through two meetings with the President of Ukraine — my visit in December and the visit of Mr. President of the United States to Kyiv today,” Zelenskyy said. “The results of this visit will surely be seen and will surely have a reflection on the battlefield and in liberating our territories.”
“I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about US support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said.
Details of Biden’s journey to Ukraine were kept secret, as a security measure. Biden’s public schedule did not include details of the trip, while White House officials explicitly denied the existence of plans for the president to visit Ukraine.
“This was a risk that Joe Biden wanted to take,” said communications director Kate Bedingfield. “It’s important to him to show up, even when it’s hard, and he directed his team to make it happen no matter how challenging the logistics.”
Russia was given advance notice of Biden’s visit to Ukraine. According to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, this was for “deconfliction purposes.”
Biden boarded Air Force One at 4:15 am Eastern Time on Feb. 19, from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. with an entourage consisting only of Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and personal aide Annie Tomasini.
Two journalists accompanied Biden’s staff: Sabrina Siddiqui from The Wall Street Journal and Evan Vucci from The Associated Press. Typically, a U.S. president travels with ten or more reporters. The journalists were not allowed to bring their recording devices on the plane, and were sworn to secrecy upon arrival at the White House prior to departure.
Air Force One arrived in Ukraine at 9:15 pm local time, and Biden arrived in Kyiv via train around 10:00 pm. Aside from his talk with Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace, Biden visited St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, where he laid a wreath by the Wall of Remembrance. He spent five hours in Kyiv before departing at 1:10 pm.
Biden appeared in Ukraine the day before Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a major national address, angering Russian pro-military circles in what was seen as a symbolic upstaging.
“Biden in Kyiv. Demonstrative humiliation of Russia,” Russian journalist Sergey Mardan said on his Telegram channel. “Tales of miraculous hypersonics may be left for children. Just like spells about the holy war we are waging with the entire West.”
“Putin thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided,” Biden said. “He thought he could outlast us. I don’t think he’s thinking that right now. He’s just been plain wrong. One year later, the evidence is right here in this room. We stand here together.”