By The FirstPresident Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine, arriving in the capital city of Kyiv on Monday morning. During his unannounced trip, Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and announced an additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance.
Biden met with Ukrainian Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace, the official residence of the Ukrainian president, and said he traveled to Kyiv to show that the United States is “here to stay.”
Biden’s visit comes ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“One year later, Kyiv stands,” Biden said after meeting with Zelensky. “And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.”
According to reports, the new assistance package, totaling around $500 million in military aid, will include artillery ammunition, Javelin missiles and Howitzers. It will not, however, include the new advanced weaponry Kyiv is keen to procure from the west including long-range weapons.
While in Kyiv, Presidents Biden and Zelensky paid tribute to Ukrainians who have died in the conflict:
