Biden Pledges More Support to Ukraine in Surprise Visit to Zelensky to Mark Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion

President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Monday morning in a show of support against ongoing Russian military incursions into the independent nation.

The surprise visit came during a planned diplomatic meeting with neighboring Poland and marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. 

“When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak, and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong,” Biden said in a statement.

Biden arrived at the Mariinsky Palace and was greeted by Zelenksy, where the two sat together for assembled media and gave statements. Biden
announced half a billion dollars of additional assistance to Ukraine in joint remarks made with Zelenksy and said more details would be released in the coming days.

According to pool reports, Biden said the package would also include more military equipment, including artillery ammunition, more javelins, and Howitzers. He did not appear to name any new types of equipment that Ukraine had not received before. Biden also said additional sanctions would be announced this week.

Zelensky said he and Biden spoke about “long-range weapons and the weapons that may still be supplied to Ukraine even though it wasn’t supplied before.” But he did not detail any new commitments.

Biden’s remarks focused on the resilience of the Ukrainian resistance as the war enters its second year, noting how the international community initially feared Kyiv would fall in the face of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.

“One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands,” Biden said.

Biden then left the palace, taking a small motorcade to St. Michael’s Gold-Domed Cathedral in central Kyiv, where he and President Zelensky did an outdoor walkabout, per pool report.

Air raid sirens were heard across the city as Biden and Zelensky left the church. Uniformed Ukrainian military officers lined the street just outside. Biden and Zelensky walked over and together laid a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance for the fallen heroes of the Russian-Ukrainian war as a military salute played, and the two presidents stared down in silence for a few moments.

Read the White House statement on Biden’s surprise visit below:

Statement from President Joe Biden on Travel to Kyiv, Ukraine

As the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong.

Today, 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, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine. Over 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 – and that support will endure.

I also look forward to traveling on to Poland to meet President Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies, as well as deliver remarks on how the United States will continue to rally the world to support the people of Ukraine and the core values of human rights and dignity in the UN Charter that unite us worldwide.

Watch above via CNN.