US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan declined to elaborate on Russia’s response for security reasons.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US government had previously warned Russia about Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine. The statements were made to journalists in the capital Kiev on Monday (February 20, 2023). The information comes from the digital newspaper Axios.
According to Sullivan, the notification was made “a few hours before” the American president’s departure to avoid conflict. For security reasons, however, the advisor did not go into detail about Moscow’s reaction.
The war in Ukraine will end a year on Friday (February 24). Biden was due to make a trip to Poland, which borders Ukraine, as early as this week.
The democrat used the time in Europe to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this Monday (February 20).
According to Sullivan, the Kiev trip is a “historic” and “unprecedented” visit by a US president to an active war zone where the US has no military presence. Details of the visit were kept secret for security reasons.
US leader lands in Poland to meet Polish President Andrzej Duda. He will also meet with leaders of the B9 (Bucharest Nine) a group made up of Eastern European NATO members to discuss strengthening the military alliance and supporting Ukraine.
BIDEN IN Kyiv
During the meeting, Biden walked the streets of Kiev alongside the head of Ukraine’s executive branch. The guides visited the Monastery of São Miguel das Cúpulas Douradas.
There they laid flowers on the Wall of Remembrance which displays photos of more than 4,500 soldiers who have died since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and observed a minute’s silence.
Deployment/Government of Ukraine 20.Feb.2023 Zelensky and Biden lay flowers at the memorial in memory of those who died for Ukraine
Disclosure/Government of Ukraine Feb 20, 2023 Zelensky and Biden visit Monastery of Saint Michael of the Golden Domes
Emergency sirens could be heard during the visit to the monastery. The alarm was raised by a Russian MIG fighter taking off from Belarus, which borders northern Ukraine.
At the Mariinsky Palace, Biden announced $500 million in additional aid to Ukraine. He said details would be released in a few days but added that the package would include more military equipment such as artillery ammunition, antitank systems and air surveillance radars.
Watch (2min32s):