Joe Biden traveled to Poland after his unexpected visit to Kiev, where he would speak on Tuesday about how the US has encouraged the rest of the world to assist Ukraine.
US President stand by Ukraine
A day after US President Joe Biden strolled through central Kyiv promising to stand by Ukraine for however long it takes, Russian President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to give a speech on Tuesday outlining goals for the second year of his invasion of that country and also US support for NATO’s eastern flank.
On Monday punctuated by the sound of air raid sirens, Biden, wearing his signature aviator sunglasses the winter sunny morning , and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, dressed in green military fatigues, walked side by side to a gold-domed cathedral in Kyiv.
“Almost a year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded what he believed to be a weak Ukraine and a divided West. He believed he might outlive us all. But he was completely wrong, “stated Biden.”The price Ukraine has had to pay is incredibly significant. So many sacrifices have been made. We are aware that challenging days, weeks, and years are ahead.”
Russian tanks that have been burned to the ground outside the cathedral are a reminder of Moscow’s initial invasion, which started on February 24, when it attempted to take the city. Its men advanced quickly towards the ramparts of Kyiv, only to encounter unexpectedly ferocious opposition.
Since then, cities have been left to rubble, thousands of Ukrainian military and civilians have died as a result of Russia’s assault, and millions of people have fled. While the West has committed tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Kiev, Russia claims to have taken roughly a fifth of Ukraine.
The first U.S. president to visit Ukraine in 15 years, Zelenskiy declared that this trip was the most significant in the relationship’s history.
A further $460 million in U.S. aid to Ukraine was announced by the State Department while Biden was in Kyiv. This aid included $450 million for artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air defense radars, as well as $10 million for energy infrastructure.Josep Borrell, the head of foreign affairs for the European Union, said the organization would agree more measures before the conflict’s anniversary, which Russia claims is a “special military operation” to protect Russian sovereignty.Officials in Washington and Moscow indicated that Russia was informed prior to Biden’s departure, ostensibly to reduce the possibility of an attack on Kyiv while he was there.
According to Tatiana Stanovaya, a Russian political expert, “the Kremlin will of course regard this as more proof that the United States has bet on Russia’s strategic defeat in the conflict and that the war itself has irrevocably changed into a battle between Russia and the West.”
In a speech to members of both chambers of parliament on Tuesday, Putin will provide an update on the Ukraine crisis, the largest confrontation with the West since the height of the Cold War, to Russia’s political and military elite.
According to the Kremlin, he will also discuss his assessment of the current state of the world and his vision for Russia’s future development in light of the severe sanctions the West has imposed on the country.
