Joe Biden

The White House notified the Kremlin of President Joe Biden's intention to visit Kyiv hours before he departed for Ukraine, as the details began to emerge of ...

The go-ahead for the trip was given only on Friday, according to White House officials, after receipt of a final security briefing. “He got a full presentation of a very good and very effective operational security plan. That, White House officials are saying, is the distinction between this trip and previous presidential visits to Afghanistan and Iraq. “We did notify the Russians that President Biden will be travelling to Kyiv,” Sullivan said. In the end, however, Biden was insistent that he should visit the Ukrainian capital, which became a symbol of resistance to the invasion during the battle of Kyiv in the early weeks of the war, when Russia tried to take the city. “But of course, there was still risk and is still risk in an endeavour like this, and President Biden felt that it was important to make this trip because of the critical juncture that we find ourselves at as we approach the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest War in Ukraine news every morning. US president Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv on ...

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Our North America editor on how Joe Biden's audacious trip to Kyiv was kept a secret.

Monday's message is designed to vividly counter the minority of Republican voices who question for how long the US can continue supporting Ukraine. President Biden then spent 10 hours on a train to get to Kyiv. He said the US "did so for deconfliction purposes… Only two journalists were allowed to travel with the president. They were sworn to secrecy and had their mobile phones taken away from them. In fact, Air Force One took off at 04:15 EST on Sunday morning.

It is understood that Mr Biden could arrive in April to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

It is understood Mr Biden would likely visit Co Mayo in a more “informal capacity,” the source added. “President Biden’s travel arrangements are obviously a matter for him. It is understood that Mr Biden could arrive in April to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

US President Joe Biden has promised new military aid for Ukraine worth $500 million during a surprise visit to Kyiv, almost a year to the day since Russia's ...

I have come to the conclusion that we are not able to change the Russian attitude," Mr Zelensky told Italian daily Corriere della Sera. Russia is trying to secure full control of two eastern provinces that form Ukraine's Donbas mining and industrial region. Russia has secured only scant gains so far in assaults in frozen trenches up and down the eastern front in recent weeks. Washington has said in recent days it is concerned Beijing could begin supplying Moscow with arms. "It will be a useless dialogue. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Several main roads in central Kyiv were closed off to traffic this morning. Russia says it was forced to launch what it calls a "special military operations" in Ukraine to rid the country of Nazis and protect Russian speakers. And we are fighting. "It is up to them to choose or not to cooperate with the community of nations on the basis of mutual respect." "This visit of the US president to Ukraine, the first for 15 years, is the most important visit in the entire history of Ukraine-US relations," Mr Zelensky said. Mr Biden also said additional sanctions would be announced this week against the Russian elite and companies trying to evade sanctions to "back the Russian war machine".

US president makes first trip to Ukraine ahead of 1-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

“This visit is a victory for the Ukrainian people and President Zelenskyy. Biden is expected to travel to Warsaw next, where he’s set to deliver a speech Tuesday to celebrate Ukraine’s ability to withstand the attack from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces. Reports about a possible visit by the American president ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion began circulating earlier in the day, as U.S. “Because as the president remember, I was warning the world that Putin was going to attack.” “I hope that the surprise that is being prepared will be successful. military jets were seen circling near the Polish border and Kyiv residents posted videos on social media of lockdowns in the city center and near the U.S. Hours in advance of the trip, U.S. “Together with more than 50 partner countries, we have approved more than 700 tanks and thousands of armored vehicles,” the U.S. He posted a photo to social media of the pair standing in front of Ukrainian and American flags. officials had expressed concerns that Biden couldn’t fly into Ukraine or take a ten-hour train ride without immense risk to the host nation or himself. Biden also said partners have approved the transfer of 700 tanks and thousands of armored vehicles to Ukraine. Sullivan said Biden met with Zelenskyy one-on-one after an initial greeting and met with the Ukrainian leader’s top aides.

A trip to Ireland this year by US president Joe Biden is confidently expected by Government sources.

It is expected that President Biden would want to visit Mayo, if possible, because of his family connections to the Blewitt/Bluett clan. He dismissed the idea that there were active talks on an itinerary and event calendar already under way. But he also held informal talks with political leaders in Dublin at the Shelbourne Hotel. President Biden appears ready to seek a second term in November 2024. President Biden previously visited Ireland in 2016 when Vice President, touring Newgrange in Co Meath and visiting his great-great-grandfather’s grave in Louth. A double visit is certainly possible — one that would take in Belfast, probably twinned with London and a meeting with British prime minister Rishi Sunak, whom he has so far kept at arm’s length.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says negotiations between the pair have been "very fruitful" as the US President says Washington would provide Kyiv with a new military ...

After a refuelling stop in Germany, Mr Biden’s aircraft switched off its transponder for the roughly hour-long flight to Rzeszow, Poland. Only two journalists were invited on board instead of the usual complement of 13. "We did so some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes. US surveillance planes kept watch over Kyiv from Polish airspace. Mr Biden's trip comes as Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to fight for control of the eastern city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. "Good morning, Mr President" was the greeting in English given by Mr Zelenskyy as Mr Biden emerged from a motorcade of vehicles that brought him to the capital in secrecy and under an unprecedented security lockdown. Mr Biden wanted to make clear in his words and pledges, including new weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, that the United States would support Kyiv "for as long as it takes". History was made in Kyiv today with the first visit to Ukraine by Joe Biden almost one year on from a Russian invasion that was designed to topple the government. In December, Mr Zelenskyy visited President Biden at the White House on his first trip out of Ukraine since the war began. Mr Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin thought Ukraine was "weak and the West was divided" and "thought he could outlast us" but added - "he was dead wrong". In a statement from the White House, the president said his visit to Kyiv would "reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine's democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity". Mr Biden was secreted aboard the Air Force jet, the call sign "SAM060" for Special Air Mission, was used for the plane instead of the usual "Air Force One".

Also in today's newsletter, a 6.4 magnitude tremor hits Turkey and China's top diplomat to meet Russian officials.

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President Joe Biden had been eager to make the trip to Ukraine for a while. “He wanted to go last year” but it was simply “a matter of making it possible ...

He heard that presentation, he was satisfied that the risk was manageable, and he ultimately made the determination.” For security reasons, “only a handful of people in each department were involved,” said Jonathan Finer, the deputy national security adviser and, as a second U.S. In Kyiv, reports about a possible visit by the American president ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion began circulating earlier in the day. Only two reporters traveled with Biden and both were required to give up their phones for the duration of the journey, unable to send colleagues any information or report on the trip until Biden had reached Kyiv. Sullivan declined to offer more details about the nature of the conversation or Moscow’s response. From there, Biden headed to the train station and quickly boarded a heavily-secured eight-car train with its windows drawn for the overnight journey to Kyiv. Biden’s long-anticipated travel to the country’s frazzled capital provided more than just a photo-op, but a chance to talk with Zelenskyy about a conflict with no end in sight and how much more the West can do to hasten its conclusion — and ensure it takes place on Ukraine’s terms. officials described Biden’s visit to the active war zone as “unprecedented,” citing the absence of any U.S. “He was excited about making the trip.” “They will not let me, understandably, I guess, cross the border and take a look at what’s going on in Ukraine.” “Part of my disappointment is that I can’t see it firsthand like I have in other places,” he said during a briefing on refugees. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details.

He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the pair visited a memorial to soldiers who have died in the nine years since Russia annexed Crimea and its ...

"I appreciate his courage, that he took on this challenge and came to show the support of the American nation." In a scene that added drama to the most high-profile visit to Ukraine since the war began, air raid sirens wailed while President Biden and Mr Zelensky were in St Michael's Cathedral in central Kyiv. Mr Zelensky has repeatedly called for F-16 fighter jets, something the is being decided," he said. "It is now and in Ukraine that the fate of the world order, which is based on rules, on humanity... The US will back Ukraine in its fight against Russia for "as long as it takes", US President Joe Biden has said on an unannounced visit to Kyiv.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Mr Biden would underscore in his Warsaw address that Russian President Vladimir Putin wrongly surmised ...

With no end in sight for the war, the anniversary is a critical moment for Mr Biden to try to bolster European unity and reiterate that Mr Putin’s invasion was a frontal attack on the post-Second World War international order. Mr Zelensky has been pushing the US and European allies to provide fighter jets and long-range missile systems known as ATACMS — which Mr Biden has declined to provide so far. Mr Biden and Mr Zelensky discussed capabilities that Ukraine needs “to be able to succeed on the battlefield” in the months ahead, Mr Sullivan said.

Mr Biden is scheduled to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and deliver an address from the gardens of Warsaw's Royal Castle.

With no end in sight for the war, the anniversary is a critical moment for Mr Biden to try to bolster European unity and reiterate that Mr Putin’s invasion was a frontal attack on the post-Second World War international order. Mr Zelensky has been pushing the US and European allies to provide fighter jets and long-range missile systems known as ATACMS — which Mr Biden has declined to provide so far. Mr Biden is scheduled to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and deliver an address from the gardens of Warsaw’s Royal Castle on Tuesday, where he is expected to highlight the commitment of the central European country and other allies to Ukraine over the past year.

US President Joe Biden, fresh from his surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital yesterday, will deliver a speech in Warsaw on America's ongoing commitment to ...

"Putin thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided," Mr Biden said yesterday. And today from Warsaw's historic Royal Castle, Mr Biden is expected to "make it clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine ... It landed in Poland on Sunday evening. He's just been plain wrong." And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands," he said.

The US president is expected to try and shore up support for Kyiv during his speech in Poland later.

In his speech a stone's throw from the Kremlin, President Putin again blamed the West for Russia's invasion, complaining of Western hypocrisy and of withdrawing from "fundamental agreements". US President Joe Biden is expected to lay out his view of the war in Ukraine as a battle for democracy during a speech later on Tuesday. In Warsaw, the US president is expected to stress the vital role the United States has played in galvanising Western backing for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

US President Joe Biden, fresh from a visit to Kyiv, will tell US allies on Tuesday that the United States is totally behind Ukraine on the anniversary of ...

"President Biden will make it clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine, as you've heard him say many times, for as long as it takes," said John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson. In the evening, Biden will give a speech on how the United States has helped rally the world to support Ukraine as the war enters its second year with no end in sight. Biden will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss collective efforts to support Ukraine and thank Poland for helping the United States and other countries facilitate deliveries of military and humanitarian assistance.

Perhaps one of the most intensely scrutinised people on the planet, US President Joe Biden left the world's media and the Washington rumour mill in complete ...

US presidents have visited danger zones before - notably Afghanistan and Iraq during the US-led wars there. That didn't change at the airport or when they got into a motorcade of SUVs. After arriving there, he made his way to Warsaw. He loves recounting his years of commuting by rail between Washington and home in Delaware when he was a senator, bringing up two young sons after their mother died in a car crash. Most of the people aboard, Ms Siddiqui said, were "heavy security." They flew for about seven hours from Washington to the US military base in Ramstein, Germany, for refuelling. The next flight was to Poland, landing in Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport. By the time Americans woke up to the news that he had been in Ukraine, Mr Biden was already tweeting: "Kyiv has captured a part of my heart." This was a "historic visit, unprecedented in modern times" into a country at war where there are no US forces on the ground, said Mr Sullivan - one of the few aides accompanying Mr Biden. The area around the platform had been cleared and the US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, awaited Mr Biden and his staff. The train rolled into Kyiv with the rising sun and came to a stop at the Kyiv-Pasazhyrsky station in the Ukrainian capital at roughly 8am local time. US President Joe Biden by all accounts was having a quiet weekend at the White House, joining his wife Jill Biden for dinner at a restaurant on a rare outing in Washington on Saturday.

Until the U.S. and allies decide what victory looks like for Kyiv, Europe isn't likely to have peace. President Joe Biden ...

The EU would be looking at many billions of euros in commitments to Ukraine. It’s the West that sometimes looks lost in the fog of war, lacking a vision for what victory looks like. At the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, Germany stopped the U.S. Look closer and divisions in the alliance become clearer. In reality, Ukraine’s outreach to NATO and the EU is just a manifestation of something far more unacceptable to an authoritarian Russia: That a democratic Ukraine would naturally seek alliances with other European democracies. The discussions in Washington, Berlin and Kyiv are consumed by what weapons to send or which extra sanctions to impose. He had bad instincts, shelling the Russian parliament in 1993 and launching the Chechen war a year later, mixed with good. His Russia was on a slow, ugly and circuitous path toward the West. and its allies in the coming months. You can better pinpoint its birth to the changing of the clock, and the century, on Dec. Poland became the cause célèbre in Western capitals the way Ukraine has become in the past year. Ukraine faces a similar predicament: It’s not clear where Ukranie fits, and the West hasn’t decided how hard to fight for it.

Biden's 'inherently risky' trip to Ukraine took planning and logistics with details known to only a few.

[trip to Kyiv](/news/2023/2/20/us-president-joe-biden-makes-unannounced-visit-to-ukraines-kyiv) for a year, and the president made the final decision to go on Friday. That did not change at the airport or when they got into a motorcade of SUVs. Most of the people on board, Siddiqui said, were “heavy security”. They flew for about seven hours from Washington to the US military base in Ramstein, Germany, for refuelling. The next flight was to Poland, landing in Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport. And a telling detail: The shade on every window had been pulled down.

Biden's speech in Poland followed a surprise visit to Kyiv, days before the one-year mark since Russia invaded Ukraine.

"We have examined the evidence. "This has been an extraordinary year in every sense," Biden said. Millions of Russian citizens who only want to live in peace with their neighbors are not the enemy." Over the weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris said the U.S. "The West was not planning to attack Russia. The U.S. While in Kyiv, the U.S. Biden's speech also came hours after Putin spoke in front of a joint session of the country's Parliament. He said the Kremlin had advance notice that Biden would travel to Kyiv. "One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv," Biden said at the Warsaw Royal Castle Gardens as the crowd waved Polish flags. "One year into this war, Putin no longer doubts the strength of our coalition, but he still doubts our conviction. commitment to Ukraine, which aims to repel a renewed Russian assault that began shortly before the one-year anniversary of the conflict.

US president Joe Biden has promised that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has hardened western resolve to defend democracy around the globe.

“We have to have security in Europe,” Mr Biden said at the presidential palace in Warsaw. Mr Biden and Mr Zelenskiy discussed capabilities Ukraine needs “to be able to succeed on the battlefield” in the months ahead. He said the visit was “a sign that the free world, and its biggest leader, the president of the United States, stands by them”.