President Biden landed in Poland’s capital late Monday and an announcement that the United States would send $460 billion worth of aid to bolster Ukraine’s war against Russia
President Biden landed in Poland’s capital late Monday, capping a day of cloak-and-dagger moves, a surprise Kyiv trip, and an announcement that the United States would send $460 billion worth of aid to bolster Ukraine’s defense against Russian invasion.
On Tuesday, Biden is set to meet with leaders of former Soviet Union nations to discuss how the West can further help Ukraine fight off the Kremlin’s nearly year-long push to conquer Kyiv.
As President Biden stepped out of a golden-domed church during his unannounced, high-stakes trip to Kyiv — a city under regular bombardment from Russian forces — an air-raid siren abruptly went off, signaling that a Russian military jet armed with missiles had taken off from its home territory.
The plane ultimately did not pose a threat to Biden’s location; U.S. officials had tried to reduce the risks by taking the extraordinary step of informing Moscow of Biden’s planned visit ahead of time.
But the shrill alarm was a reminder of the peril of an American president visiting a war-besieged capital in a region where military groups and mercenaries are not known for following the rules.
Washington Post reported that President Biden departed Kyiv by train just before 1:10 p.m. local time after his surprise visit to a war-torn Ukraine, according to a pool report.
The train crossed the border into Poland shortly after 8 p.m. local time, which is one hour earlier than the time zone in Kyiv.
The train arrived at the Przemysl Glowny train station at 8:45 p.m. local time, and Biden’s motorcade was rolling about 15 minutes later.
He arrived at southeastern Poland’s Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport at 10:04 p.m. and boarded Air Force One shortly thereafter.
President Biden had a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni late Monday night before she was scheduled to visit Ukraine, according to a White House readout.
“The two leaders discussed their ongoing close coordination on support to Ukraine, including security, economic, and humanitarian assistance,” the readout said.
