Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral during an unannounced visit, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, February 20, 2023. US President Joe Biden, center left, participates in a wreath-laying ceremony with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the memorial wall outside of St. It’s worth fighting for as long as it takes.” Thousands of Ukrainian troops and civilians have been killed, millions of refugees have fled the war, and Ukraine has suffered tens of billions of dollars of infrastructure damage.īiden pledged long-term support for Ukraine, saying that “freedom is priceless. The trip gave Biden an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the devastation the Russian invasion has caused in Ukraine.
God knows what he’s thinking, but I don’t think he’s thinking that. I don’t think he’s thinking that right now. “He’s counting on us not sticking together,” Biden said of the Russian leader. But Russia’s aim was to wipe Ukraine off the map. “We know that there’ll be very difficult days and weeks and years ahead. And the sacrifices have been far too great,” Biden said. “The cost that Ukraine has had to bear has been extraordinarily high. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)īiden warned that the “brutal and unjust war” is far from won. US President Joe Biden, left, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at St. “I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about US support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said. For Zelensky, the symbolism of having the US president stand side by side with him on Ukrainian land as the anniversary nears is no small thing as he prods the US and European allies to provide more advanced weaponry and to step up the pace of delivery. Looking solemn, they continued unperturbed as they laid a wreath and held a moment of silence at the Wall of Remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014.īiden’s mission with his visit to Kyiv, which comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Warsaw, Poland, is to underscore that the United States is prepared to stick with Ukraine “as long as it takes” to repel Russian forces, even as public opinion polling suggests that US and allied support for providing weaponry and direct economic assistance has started to soften.
Michael’s Cathedral, which they visited together.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)īiden also got a short firsthand taste of the terror that Ukrainians have lived with for close to a year, as air raids sirens howled over the capital just as he and Zelensky were exiting the gold-domed St. US President Joe Biden, left, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace during an unannounced visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, February 20, 2023. Zelensky is pressing allies to speed up delivery of pledged weapon systems and is calling on the West to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine - something that Biden to date has declined to do. The Ukraine visit comes at a crucial moment in the war as Biden looks to keep allies unified in their support for Ukraine as the war is expected to intensify with both sides preparing for spring offensives. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.” “One year later, Kyiv stands,” Biden said, jamming his finger for emphasis on his podium decorated with the US and Ukrainian flags. Speaking alongside Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace, Biden recalled the fears nearly a year ago that Russia’s invasion forces might quickly take the Ukrainian capital. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - US President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a gesture of solidarity that comes days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country.
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