Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine one year into the war

Nearly a year into the largest ground war in Europe since World War II, President Biden made a secret trip to besieged Kyiv today in a demonstration of U.S. support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s yearlong invasion.

The visit, which included a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was unannounced for security reasons before Biden flew again to Poland for meetings in Warsaw, as scheduled (Politico EU and The New York Times).

One year later, Kyiv stands,” Biden said in Kyiv. “Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you and the world stands with you.”

Biden announced half a billion dollars in further aid to Ukraine, “including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars,” according to a White House statement, and will detail further sanctions “against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine” later this week. Zelensky said today that 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.”

Biden’s surprise visit comes as world leaders prepare to mark a year on Friday since Ukraine began its defense, and currently, there are no real signs of a way out of the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no indication of giving in, and Ukraine, which has battled Russian invaders to a standstill, says it’s determined to gain ground during an expected spring offensive.

In Kyiv, Biden said Putin had miscalculated. “He’s just been plain wrong,” he said standing with Zelensky. “One year later, the evidence is right here in this room. We stand here together.”

Neither side appears primed for an outright military victory, and progress at the negotiating table seems just as unlikely (NPR). Ukraine is depending on a brutal ground war and massive ammunition to attain a standstill against Russia, as Kyiv prepares for a spring offensive launched by Moscow (CBS Sunday Morning).