Biden vows ‘unwavering support’ for Ukraine during surprise visit to Kyiv

US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday in a dramatic show of American commitment to Ukraine ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

His visit, shrouded in secrecy due to security concerns, comes at a crucial time in the war as Ukraine prepares for a counter-offensive and calls on allies to speed up the delivery of billions of dollars in western arms. Russia is also ramping up its offensive and preparations for a larger attack, although progress has stalled so far.

“I think it’s critical that there is no doubt, absolutely nothing, about US support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said while speaking with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace, the official residence of Ukraine’s president. “I am here to show my unwavering support for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Zelenskyy thanked Biden for coming at “the most difficult time” for Ukraine. “This conversation brings us closer to victory,” he said.

Also, on Monday, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, went to Moscow to meet senior Russian officials, possibly including Russian president Vladimir Putin. In recent times, senior US officials have warned China not to give Russia lethal aid. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that the US government had reason to believe that Beijing was “very reluctant to provide assistance to Russia”.

The Chinese government declined to comment on Wang’s visit to the Russian capital.

While in Kyiv, Biden announced $500 million in additional security assistance, including artillery ammunition, Javelin missiles and more howitzers. The package does not include new capabilities such as fighter jets or long-range missiles that Kyiv has long sought. The US has announced around $30bn in aid to kill since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Zelenskyy said that he and Biden discussed the provision of long-range missiles that Ukraine has not yet received.

Biden said the U.S. would impose more sanctions on Russian elites and companies that aid Russia’s war effort.

The visit is a symbol of American resolve, reminiscent of other secret war visits by US presidents to Iraq and Afghanistan. Monday’s trip to Kyiv was made more daring by the lack of U.S. troops on the ground to help support them.

Videos on social media showed Biden walking with Zelenskyy in St Michael’s Square in Kyiv as air raid sirens played in the background and sounded across the country. With the gold-domed St Michael’s Cathedral as the backdrop, Biden laid a wreath at a memorial to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in the middle of the square.

The image of Biden and Zelenskyy walking together in downtown Kyiv comes as some Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have questioned the US’s ability to support long-term aid to Kyiv.

In the coming weeks, Biden is expected to ask Congress for additional funding to provide more lethal aid to Ukraine, which will give some indication of where the Republican-controlled House of Representatives stands on the issue and how it might play out in the upcoming 2024 presidency. . election.

Later on Monday, Biden is expected to travel to Poland for a two-day trip, during which he will make a keynote address on the war and meet with Polish president Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the eastern European Bucharest Nine group. country.

Biden left Washington with a small group of aides at 4:15 a.m. on Sunday and arrived in Kyiv on Monday at 8 a.m. local time after an overnight train ride. Biden left the Ukrainian capital in the evening.

Many of Biden’s western counterparts, such as British prime minister Rishi Sunak, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz, have visited Kyiv. Biden’s visit follows trips by others in the administration including Blinken and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Additional reporting by Max Seddon in Riga and Joe Leahy in Beijing.