Joe Biden makes surprise first visit to Ukraine since start of war

Joe Biden has made a surpise visit to Kyiv – his first trip to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion – during what President Volodymyr Zelensky called a “huge moment” for his country.

“It’s good to be back in Kyiv,” Mr Biden declared. The visit comes ahead of the one-year anniversary of the start of the war on 24 Februrary. "One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands," Mr Biden said.

Air raid sirens blared across the Ukrainian capital as Mr Biden toured the city with Mr Zelensky, but there were no reports of Russian missile or air strikes. The visit is one of extreme significance for Mr Zelensky and Ukraine as it pushes for more more weapons and ammunition from the West to repel increasingly intense Russian attacks in the east of the country and to build its military stocks to launch counter offensives of its own.

Mr Biden announced an additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance, including shells for howitzers, anti-tank missiles, air surveillance radars and other aid but no new advanced weaponry. Mr Zelensky said he and the US president spoke about "long range weapons and the weapons that may still be supplied to Ukraine even though it wasn't supplied before."

When he arrived, Mr Biden first travelled to the presidential Mariinsky Palace just after 8.30am local time, where he was greeted outside the entrance outside by Mr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska.

“Thank you for coming,” Mr Zelensky said as he shook Mr Biden’s hand.

“More importantly, how are the children?” Mr Biden asked, while adding: “It’s amazing to see you.”

Mr Biden noted that – while his first in the 12 months since the war began – today’s trip marks his eight visit to Ukraine.

“Each time more significant,” Mr Biden said, adding that the purpose of his visit was to convey to Mr Zelensky that the US is “here to stay.”

“We’re not leaving,” Mr Biden said.

Ahead of a meeting between the two men, Mr Zelensky said: “Today we host President Biden... That is so important... Thank you so much for coming Mr President at a huge moment for Ukraine.

“What can I say, I really appreciate that President Biden, American society, have been from the very beginning … of this war have been together with us.”

Turning to Mr Biden, he said: “Thank you for your leadership.”

After a meeting at the palace, they later left at around 11.19am and together visited St. Michael’s Gold-Domed Cathedral in central Kyiv – a building which has long been a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after it sheltered protesters from police acting under a Kremlin-backed president in 2013.

There, the two leaders walked side by side around the outside of the building – stepping inside for a few minutes – as Zelensky pointed out elements of the structure to his US counterpart.

The pair then laid a wreath and took a moment of silence at the Wall of Remembrance for those so far killed in the war.

In a statement released by the White House, Mr Biden said: “As the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelensky and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

“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.”

He added that he would announce a new “delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments”.

“I also look forward to traveling on to Poland to meet President Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies, as well as deliver remarks on how the United States will continue to rally the world to support the people of Ukraine and the core values of human rights and dignity in the UN Charter that unite us worldwide,” Mr Biden said.

Mr Biden’s visit came on route to a two-day visit to Poland, where he is due to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Eastern European allies to speak about Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had said that he and and Mr Biden will discuss possibly increasing US troop presence in Poland and making it more permanent.

"We are in the process of discussion with President Biden's administration about making their (troop) presence more permanent and increasing them," Morawiecki said on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.

"I'm very grateful also for sending new Patriot systems and other very modern weapons and munitions because this is also to some extent a proxy for presence of soldiers, but of course the two go in tandem," he said.

The United States bolstered its troop presence in Poland ahead of the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion and currently has roughly 11,000 personnel on rotation there, according to CBS.

Mr Biden said last June that the United States would set up a new permanent army headquarters in Poland in response to Russian threats.