With his visit to Kiev, Joe Biden reaffirmed US support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. His trip was planned months in advance.
Kiev – About a year after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, US President Joe Biden visited Kiev under the strictest security precautions and visited symbolic places in the metropolis together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. He promised the country continued US support.
Biden then traveled back to Poland. The visit to Poland had already been announced in advance. However, making a trip to Ukraine had not previously been publicly planned, on the contrary: just a few days before Biden’s arrival in Kiev, the White House denied that such plans existed.
Joe Biden in Kiev: A trip that has been planned for months
According to the American television broadcaster CNN, the president’s trip had been planned months in advance by a small circle of advisers close to Biden. It’s about more than Ukraine, “it’s about freedom and democracy in Europe, about freedom and democracy in general,” announced Biden in Kiev. But it was not just a symbolic visit. Biden also sought talks with Zelenskyy to discuss the coming months, the next phase of the war with Russia, reports CNN.
One reason the trip has long been kept secret is that the White House wanted flexibility. Allowing a president to travel to a war zone where the US has no direct influence is a risky proposition. If necessary, they wanted to be able to call off the trip without having announced it in advance.
Joe Biden in Kiev: The US President was willing to take risks
It should also be clear to Biden that he would meet Selenskyj in Kiev and not somewhere else in Ukraine or Poland. For this reason, he and his delegation first traveled to Poland, with a brief stopover in Germany. From there he continued his journey by train. After a ten-hour train journey, he finally arrived. However, the plan that has now been implemented had been drawn up months earlier. After many European leaders visited Kiev.
Joe Biden had been informed in advance about any security risks and according to CNN it is said that he was willing to accept them: “His security plan was presented in a holistic way. He listened to the presentation and he was satisfied,” said a consultant.
Joe Biden in Kiev: USA informed Russia in advance
Despite, or perhaps because of, the tensions between the US and Russia, the White House informed the Kremlin in advance about Biden’s travel plans. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan did not say in a phone call to journalists on Monday what the information was and how the Russians responded. “But I can confirm that we provided that information,” Sullivan said. That happened a few hours earlier.
The US side initially gave no information on how Biden came to Kiev. In times of war, state guests usually travel to the Ukrainian capital by train. However, after the release of the relevant information by the security services, there should be information on the travel route later, according to the delegation. (dpa/lp)
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