Shortly before 11:30 a.m. local time, sirens blared in Kiev as a Russian Mig-31 took off from Belarus armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile that the Ukrainians are unable to shoot down. His fate was unknown. At the same time, indifferent to the alarms, the presidents of the US, Joe Biden, and of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, left the Monastery of São Miguel das Domes Douradas and approached the Wall of Memory to lay two wreaths. Faced with portraits of the more than 4,500 soldiers who have died since Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, the two leaders embraced.
“One year later Kiev stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands”said Biden at the Mariinsky Palace, days away from the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. Hours earlier, he had been met at the door of the Ukrainian president’s official residence by Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, who asked about their children.. “When [o presidente russo, Vladimir] Putin launched his invasion almost a year ago, thinking Ukraine was weak and the West divided. He thought he could outlive us all. But he was completely wrong.”previously indicated.
The US president, wearing a blue and yellow tie (the colors of the Ukrainian flag), spent more than five hours on a surprise visit to Kiev so that “there is no doubt about US support for Ukraine”. For Zelensky this was “the most important visit in the history of relations” between the two countries. “The democratic world will win this historic battle. Ukraine will win”, the Ukrainian president wrote on his official Telegram channel, sharing several photos of both. Including the inauguration of a plaque bearing the North American leader’s name on Paseo dos Corajosos, alongside those of other world leaders who have visited the capital since the invasion.
In his luggage for Kiev, where he arrived after a ten-hour train journey from Poland, like other leaders before him, Biden accepted yet another $500 million package in military aid. This includes artillery ammunition, howitzers and Javelin anti-tank missiles, but none of the long-range weapons the Ukrainians have long desired, or their latest wish, Western-made warplanes. Still, the promise of more weapons is “an unmistakable sign that Russia’s attempts to win will fail,” Zelensky said.
Biden also took to Kiev the promise of more sanctions against Russian elites and companies. At the same time, the heads of European Union (EU) diplomacy in Brussels discussed yet another package of European sanctions against Russia. Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, says it is “a matter of hours” before it happens.
The 27 also talked about accelerating the delivery of arms to Ukraine. Borrell warned at the entrance to the meeting that if this support fails “the outcome of the war will be jeopardized”. Ammunition shortages have been a concern in recent weeks, in anticipation of a new Russian offensive. “Russia fires about 50,000 artillery rounds a day and Ukraine needs to be at the same level of capability. They have guns, but they have no ammunition. So we will do everything we can,” Borrell said. On Tuesday, he will meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine’s head of diplomacy Dmytro Kuleba to discuss the matter.
The Kremlin has been warned
Russia was warned “a few hours before” the visit to avoid misunderstandings, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. That is what the same officer said this visit – decided only on Friday, despite taking months to prepare – “is unprecedented in modern times”. Although Biden’s predecessors – George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump – had visited Iraq or Afghanistan, this was the first time a US president had “visited the capital of a country at war where the US military has no US control.” on critical infrastructure’. “.
Only two journalists covering the White House accompanied Biden, who were sworn to secrecy and had their cell phones removed. They could not send information until they reached Kiev. The US president could have chosen to visit another city, closer to the border, but he wanted to go to the capital to send a stronger message.
Russian state media called the trip a “publicity stunt” before Biden launched his candidacy for a second term, given that Zelensky is a “puppet” of the American leader. Pro-Kremlin analysts further claimed that the visit proves that the US is waging a “proxy war” in Ukraine and that Washington is Moscow’s real enemy.
Former President Dmitry Medvedev, the current number two on Russia’s Security Council, said Biden received “security assurances” ahead of his trip to Kiev. “He promised many weapons and swore allegiance to the neo-Nazi regime to death”, he wrote on his Telegram channel. “And of course there were mutual joys about the victory that will come with new weapons and a brave people,” he added.
The visit came on the eve of Putin delivering his traditional State of the Nation speech to both chambers of the Russian Parliament. There is no set date for this speech (last year it was only in April), but it will practically coincide with the anniversary of the invasion. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin will focus on “the current situation”, namely economic and social issues.
Nevertheless, Biden will also begin his planned visit to Poland with a speech at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. According to the White House, it will use the opportunity to send “messages” to Putin. Among them that the US “will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary”. Biden also scheduled a meeting with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, “to discuss bilateral cooperation and collective efforts to support Ukraine and strengthen NATO’s deterrence capabilities.”
The agenda of the visit also includes a meeting with representatives of the Bucharest 9 Group, which brings together the countries of Eastern Europe that are members of the Atlantic Alliance (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia).
Others promise support
Days before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has not only received American support. Japan promised $5.5 billion in financial aid to Kiev on Monday, after it had already provided $600 million in emergency humanitarian aid. “It is still necessary to help people whose livelihoods have been destroyed by the war and to restore the destroyed infrastructure”said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. Japan, which leads the G7 this year, also indicated that on Friday, the anniversary of the invasion, it would hold a videoconference with the leaders of the world’s seven largest economies, which would include Zelensky.
For his part, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire defended an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program to support Ukraine worth $16 billion over four years. “In addition to the support of Europe, in addition to the support of the G7 countries, it is important that the IMF mobilize for Ukraine.” said before a meeting of G20 counterparts taking place in India. On Friday, the IMF indicated that it had reached an agreement to provide a loan to Ukraine.
Source: DN
