Biden pays visit to Kyiv

US President Joe Biden has arrived in Kyiv to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. Photos from their meeting have been published online. Zelensky later confirmed the visit.

“Joseph Biden, welcome to Kyiv! Your visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians,” he wrote.

According to Ukrainian media outlets, the presidents were seen in downtown Kyiv, near St. Michael’s Cathedral. The presidents can be seen walking together when air raid sirens were sounding off in Kyiv.

“When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong. Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support — and that support will endure,” Biden tweeted.

During the visit, the US leader announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $500 million. It will include artillery ammunition, anti-armour systems, and air surveillance radars.

The BBC notes that Biden’s Kyiv visit coincided with the date that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described as the beginning of the Russian occupation in 2014.

Earlier, the White House announced that Biden would visit Poland between 20 and 22 February. “He will meet with President Andrzej Duda of Poland to discuss our bilateral cooperation as well as our collective efforts to support Ukraine and bolster NATO’s deterrence,” the statement noted.

Earlier, Politico claimed that Biden’s visit to Ukraine had been “all but ruled out” due to security concerns.