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Will (and when) Biden visit Ukraine? Here’s what White House said
The statement from the White House comes just two days after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.
US President Joe Biden would "love to visit Ukraine," but there are no current plans for him to do so, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Monday as the war entered its 69th day. Psaki said the White House would continue to assess the situation, and underscored the Biden administration's objective to reopen the US Embassy and have US diplomats on site.
"And I know the president would love to visit Ukraine, but no plans in the works at this time," she was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The statement from the White House comes just two days after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday. Pelosi - who was accompanied by fellow senior US House Representatives - told Ukrainian leaders that “US commitment is to be there for Ukraine until the fight is done".
US secretary of state Antony Blinken and US defence secretary Lloyd Austin also visited Kyiv last month and promised “more weapons and diplomatic efforts” to the Ukrainian leader in a three-hour-long meeting, news agency AP reported.
UN chief Antonio Guterres also held a meeting with Zelensky last week hoping for an end of the war in sight. “I want the Ukrainian people to know that the world sees you, hears you, and is in awe of your resilience and resolve,” he told the President.
The Prime Minister of UK, Boris Johnson, walked on the streets of Kyiv with the Ukraine president in April. The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia have also paid visits to the war-torn nation in the early days of war to express solidarity.
On March 26, almost a month after the war, Biden visited Ukraine’s NATO neighbour Poland to extend his support to the war refugees. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, Biden has lashed out at his Russian counterpart on several occasions, and referred to him as “a butcher.” Last Sunday, Biden tweeted from his personal account that Russian President Vladimir Putin could make the choice to end the war just as he chose to launch this brutal invasion. "Russia is the aggressor, and the world must and will hold Russia accountable," he wrote.
