President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on December 21, 2022. Zelensky was in Washington to meet with President Biden and address Congress—his first trip abroad since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP)
The White House announced on Friday that President Biden will mark the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a visit to NATO ally Poland. He will travel from February 20‑22, meeting Polish President Andrzej Duda and members of the Bucharest Nine, a group of NATO states in Eastern Europe, Press Secretary Karine Jean‑Pierre said. During the trip, Biden will discuss bilateral cooperation and collective efforts to support Ukraine and strengthen NATO’s deterrence.
Biden will also deliver a speech on February 24, the one‑year anniversary of Russia’s “brutal and unprovoked” invasion, highlighting how the United States has rallied global support for the Ukrainian people as they defend their freedom and democracy. The visit will coincide with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation address in Moscow on February 21.
Poland serves as the main hub for Ukrainian refugees and the conduit for Western military aid, much of it supplied by the United States. However, security concerns make it unlikely that Biden will travel to neighboring Ukraine, even though numerous European leaders have visited Kyiv. The only recent U.S. presidential family visit to Ukraine was First Lady Jill Biden’s surprise trip to western Ukraine in May 2022.
Comments are closed for this story.