Days before the one-year anniversary of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden made an unannounced stop in the war-torn country\u2019s capital to solidify his \u201cunwavering and unflagging\u201d support as the \u201cOhio Chernobyl\u201d went untouched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president departed Washington, D.C. en route to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda where corporate media correspondents dutifully awaited his arrival in Warsaw only to learn the White House had withheld Biden\u2019s intention to travel to Ukraine. After arriving in Kyiv Monday morning, the president was shuttled to Mariinsky Palace where he was greeted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an official statement<\/a>, Biden said, \u201cAs the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia\u2019s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine\u2019s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToday, in Kyiv, I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine. I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments. And I will share that later this week,\u201d the statement continued, \u201cwe will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia\u2019s war machine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOver the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support \u2014 and that support will endure,\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later on, the president held a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart where he echoed those remarks as he reminisced about a call with Zelenskyy from one year prior, at the onset of the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou told me that you could hear explosions in the background,\u201d Biden said to set the scene before recounting Zelenskyy\u2019s response to his offer of help. \u201cYou said, and I quote, \u2018Gather the leaders of the world. Ask them to support Ukraine.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Describing the belief from the time that the capital city and the nation itself could fall at the hands of Russia, Biden went on, \u201cOne year later, Kyiv stands, and Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zelenskyy posted a video of his meeting with Biden on social media and described it as, \u201cHistoric. Timely. Brave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n