The president of USA, Joe Bidenhas made this Monday a surprise visit to kyiv as a stop prior to his tour of Eastern Europe on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, next Friday, February 24. This is Biden’s first trip to Ukraine since the start of the war, in which he has reiterated his “unwavering” support for the Slavic country and has promised new arms deliveries.
At a press conference with the president Volodimir Zelensky After a meeting between the two leaders, the American has announced the delivery of $500 million in supplemental aid, whose details will be revealed in the coming days. According to a statement released by the White House, this aid will include artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems and air surveillance radars.
“I think it is essential that there is no doubt about the support of the United States for Ukraine,” stressed the president, who also explained that during the week they will reveal new sanctions against the elite and Russian companies.
Biden has guaranteed that Washington will be with Kiev for the duration of the conflict and has stressed that the objective of this trip is to reaffirm his “unwavering commitment to democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Ukraine.
The US president has been able to see first-hand the impact of the war on the daily lives of the inhabitants of kyiv. The anti-aircraft sirens resounded in the Ukrainian capital while he left a church in the company of Zelensky, according to reports from the news agencies present in the Ukrainian capital. However, there is no record of any Russian bombing or missile launches during the visit.
“Signal Support”
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For his part, Zelenski has expressed gratitude for the visit of his American counterpart. He has described the gesture as a “very important sign of support” a few days before the first anniversary of the invasion. “This visit by a US president to Ukraine, the first in 15 years, is the most important visit in the history of Ukraine-US relations,” he added.
The Ukrainian president already visited the United States last December. It was also the first trip abroad for Zelenski since the war began and he returned with the firm commitment of aid from the North American country. In a further show of that support, Zelensky left Washington with a military aid package under the arm, in which the desired anti-aircraft defense system was included patriot.