US president Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday in a dramatic show of American commitment to Ukraine ahead of the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
His visit, shrouded in secrecy owing to security concerns, comes at a pivotal moment in the war as Ukraine is gearing up for a Russian spring offensive and calling on its allies to speed up the delivery of billions of dollars in western weapons.
“I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about US support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said during joint remarks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I’m here to show our unwavering support for the nation’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Zelenskyy thanked Biden for coming “at a huge moment for Ukraine”.
He said he and Biden would speak about the battlefield situation and also “about the people, about Ukrainians, about Americans . . . what we have to do to stop the war, to have success in this war . . . and how to win this year”.
Videos on social media showed Biden walking with Zelenskyy in Kyiv’s St Michael’s Square as air raid sirens blared in the background and sounded throughout much of the country. With the backdrop of the gold-domed St Michael’s Cathedral, Biden laid a wreath at a memorial to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in the centre of the square.
While meeting Zelenskyy, Biden announced $500mn in additional security assistance, including artillery ammunition, more javelin missiles and howitzers. The package did not appear to include new capabilities such as fighter jets or longer range missiles Kyiv has long sought. The US has announced some $30bn in lethal assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
Biden also said the US would impose additional sanctions against Russian elites and companies assisting Russia’s war effort.
Biden’s visit comes ahead of a two-day trip to Poland, where he will make a major speech on the war and meet Polish president Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the so-called Bucharest Nine group of eastern European countries.
This is a developing story.