Biden arrived on an unannounced visit to Kyiv for the first time since the start of the war

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Joe Biden arrived in Kyiv four days before the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine and on the eve of Vladimir Putin's message to the Federal Assembly. The visit was not announced in advance, it was only known that Biden would visit Poland on February 20-22. This is the first trip of a US President to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

What's happened

The visit was first reported by the Ukrainian media and eyewitnesses who spotted Biden in downtown Kiev. But almost immediately, Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the information. “Joseph Biden, welcome to Kyiv! Your visit is a very important manifestation of support for all Ukrainians,” he wrote on his Telegram channel, posting a photo with Biden. At the same time, an air raid warning went off in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine at the time of the meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, warning of possible strikes from Russia.

During a speech at the Mariinsky Palace in Kiev, Biden reflected on the resilience of the Ukrainian resistance, reports The Wall Street Journal. “A year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine will survive. Democracy stands,” said the President of the United States. He announced the allocation of additional assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $500 million, but did not disclose what it would include, promising that detailed information would be published in the coming days. Standing next to Zelensky, surrounded by American and Ukrainian flags, Biden promised Ukraine "unwavering support," writes the WSJ. “I think it is extremely important that there is no doubt, absolutely no, about the US support for Ukraine in this war,” he said.

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What do they say about it

Ukrainian media write that Biden during the visit will announce the transfer of F-16 fighter jets and ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, but this information has not yet been confirmed. The White House press release says that the US President is announcing the delivery of artillery shells, anti-tank weapons and air defense radars.

Biden's visit to Kyiv was planned in the strictest confidence, it was announced to journalists only upon the arrival of the US President in the capital of Ukraine. Last week, White House officials claimed that such a visit was not planned, notes Bloomberg . Similarly, Zelenskiy's visit to Washington in December last year was secretly prepared. How the trip went, we told here .

Biden's visit to Ukraine is reminiscent of the secret trips of George W. Bush to Iraq and Barack Obama to Afghanistan at the height of the wars in these countries, notes The New York Times . The US President arrived in Kyiv at a pivotal moment when some allies began to press for Ukraine to enter into peace talks, while agreeing to give Russia part of the territory. Even within the United States, there are opinions that it is necessary to reduce military support for Kyiv, the newspaper writes.

Find out more

In early February, Zelensky paid a visit to the UK, France and Belgium. Its main goal was to persuade European leaders to supply military aircraft to Ukraine. We wrote about how the trip went here .