US President Joe Biden arrived in Kyiv on Monday for an unannounced visit, news agencies reported.
Biden arrived in the Ukrainian capital before his visit to Poland, where he is visiting for the first time since Russia attacked Ukraine a year ago. His trip to Kyiv was not disclosed in advance for security reasons.
Air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital during the US president’s visit, but there were no reports of Russian missiles or airstrikes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that long-range weapons will be discussed during the visit. Biden announced that Ukraine will receive an additional $500 million in military aid from the United States. Details of the deal will be announced on Tuesday. He informed: the package also includes ammunition for the HIMARS missile artillery device. He also talked about the fact that Washington will soon announce new sanctions against Russia. He stated: the United States will stand by Ukraine as long as necessary. “A year has passed and Kyiv is still standing. Ukraine is standing, and so is democracy” – said the American president in the presidential palace in Kyiv after a meeting with the Ukrainian president.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi said: Joe Biden’s visit “is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians”. Biden arrived in Kyiv a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a major speech in which he is expected to outline Russia’s goals for the second year of the “special operation” launched on February 24th last year.
