OAN Geraldyn Berry
12:56 PM PT – Monday, February 20, 2023
For the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began almost a year ago, President Joe Biden has made a surprise visit to Kyiv early on Monday.
This comes as The White House initially denied that the president had any plans to travel to Ukraine, which would have been perilous given the continuing violence. Nevertheless, officials later acknowledged that Russia had been informed in advance “for deconfliction purposes.”
Reports say that the U.S. President arrived by 8 a.m. local time, traveling to an active war zone without a large U.S. military presence. However, the visit was not made public until 12 p.m. local time. In asserting that “Putin’s war of conquest is failing,” Biden stated that the purpose of his visit was to reaffirm US support for Kyiv as being “unwavering.”
“One year later, Kyiv stands and Ukraine stands,” Biden said. “Democracy stands.”
During his unexpected visit to the Ukrainian capital, Biden had added another $500 million in military aid commitments. To note, since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has already provided more than $100 billion in aid to that nation. According to the President, he is committed to supporting war-torn country for “as long as it takes.”
Member of the Ukrainian parliament Maryan Zablotskiy spoke about the visit.
“The main thing is what will be the end result and with President Biden’s visit and with this show of strength, we know that in the end, we will be victorious. That was very powerful for us,” Zablotskiy said.
Before leaving, Biden wrote the letter in the palace guestbook. The city, according to Biden, “caught a portion of my heart.”
“I am honored to be welcomed again in Kyiv. I stand in solidarity and friendship with the freedom loving people of Ukraine,” Biden wrote. “Mr. President, please accept my deepest respect for your courage and leadership. Slava Ukraini!”
However, a number of U.S. lawmakers have criticized the president’s move to visit the country on Presidents Day and amid the struggles that are present in the U.S. Lawmakers argue that Biden’s decision is giving financial aid without proper oversight.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that Ukraine should not receive a “blank check,” countering Biden’s unwavering support.
Amid the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, reporters questioned National Security advisor Jake Sullivan was asked if the White House had informed Moscow that Biden was visiting the city that had been suffering from Russian missile attacks.
“We did notify the Russians that President Biden would be traveling to Kyiv,” Sullivan confirmed. “We did so some hours before his departure for de-confliction purposes.”
Russia has not responded to this claim.