This morning Monday 20 February, U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Kyiv without any announcements or warnings.
In the morning, several important highways were blocked in the capital, and the city was gridlocked for a couple of hours. Kyiv residents tried to understand the cause of the traffic jams for a long time, until around noon, the two presidents, one Ukrainian and one American, appeared together at St. Michael’s Cathedral to the sound of an air raid siren. They came to the Wall of Remembrance for the soldiers who died during the Russian invasion of Ukraine since it began in 2014.
Biden chose a symbolic date for his visit, the Day of Remembrance of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes who died during the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, as well as the Day of the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine, because it was on this day nine years ago that Russia’s military operation to occupy Crimea began.
Rolling Stone journalists wrote that Biden could have met with Zelenskyy on the border with Poland or in Lviv. However, he himself insisted that the meeting take place in Kyiv. Biden’s arrival effectively removed any security concerns about other foreign leaders’ visits to Kyiv.
Biden said a lot of pleasant things: that Ukrainians have helped the West understand the meaning of democracy, and that Kyiv has won his heart. He also recalled a conversation he had with Zelenskyy almost a year ago, on the day of the Russian invasion, when the whole world was waiting and fearing that Ukraine was about to fall. “A year later, Kyiv is standing. Ukraine is standing. Democracy stands. Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you,” Biden said. The US President emphasized that Ukraine has succeeded in the war against Russia against all expectations and will continue to win. The US President’s visit to war-torn Ukraine is a strong signal to all key players in the international arena of Kyiv’s full support, and is a fitting response to President Zelenskyy’s visit to the US last December.
The US President announced a new $500 million military aid package for Ukraine and additional sanctions against Russia. Biden announced the most powerful support for Ukraine to win the war with Russia, namely in the form of 700 tanks, 1,000 armoured combat vehicles, 1,000 artillery systems, 2 million artillery shells, 15 MLRS, and an air defense system.
Finally, Biden received a personalized plaque on the Alley of Courage near the Verkhovna Rada and left for Poland. There he will meet with the country’s leader, Andrzej Duda. A direct address by Biden to the Russian people was announced during a speech in Warsaw on February 21. At the same time, Putin will address his message not to the Russian people, but to his subordinates in the highest echelons of the Russian government. Putin’s message to the Federal Assembly will definitely be diluted by Biden’s visit to Kyiv. With his visit, the US president disavowed in advance any threats Putin may have made to the civilised world.
Biden’s arrival sends a clear message to Putin that he miscalculated by attacking Ukraine, and the only outcome of the war that the West will accept is Russia’s defeat and security guarantees for Ukraine. Putin’s military campaign is failing, and Russian troops are forced to retreat from the Ukrainian territories they had previously seized. The Russian army in Ukraine is suffering heavy casualties.
Before the full-scale invasion, Putin’s calculation was based on Ukraine’s weakness and the West’s division. Today, however, 50 countries are helping Ukraine defend itself by providing humanitarian, economic, and military assistance. At the Munich Security Conference (17-19 February), representatives of Western countries decided that the only outcome they would accept was Russia’s defeat and future guarantees to Ukraine.
The US President emphasised that Ukraine had succeeded in the war against Russia against all expectations and would continue to win. The West will not tire of supporting Ukraine, and all the hopes of Russian President Vladimir Putin on this issue are in vain.
Biden’s visit triggered a flurry of criticism from Kremlin propagandists. They agreed that it was “an exemplary humiliation of Russia.” While Biden was in Ukraine, Russian propagandists managed to suggest that he should be assassinated, that several bombs should be dropped on Kyiv, and that aircraft with tactical nuclear weapons should be launched. However, according to the Associated Press, in order to prevent surprises, the White House warned Russia a few hours before Biden’s visit to Kyiv. I think that we can all be grateful that there are at least effective communications channels working between Washington and Moscow.
US President Joe Biden’s unannounced visit to Kyiv was a strong confirmation of the Western world’s consolidation around supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
