The US president has beforehand dominated out such a go to, saying he’ll journey to Poland however wouldn’t go additional
US President Joe Biden arrived in Ukraine on Monday, making his first go to since Moscow launched its army operation within the neighboring state almost a yr in the past.
Biden has met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky within the Mikhailovsky Cathedral in Kiev. Ukrainian information organizations revealed photographs and video displaying Biden and Zelensky strolling in direction of the church flanked by armed safety.
Biden mentioned he was assembly with Zelensky to “reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging dedication to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” in line with the assertion launched by the White Home.
The US president added that he would announce a brand new supply of “crucial gear” for the Ukrainian military, together with artillery rounds, anti-tank techniques, and radars. “Later this week, we’ll announce extra sanctions towards elites and firms which are attempting to evade or backfill Russia’s struggle machine,” Biden mentioned.
Based on Reuters, air raid sirens have been heard in Kiev throughout Biden’s journey, however there have been no studies of Russian strikes.
The journey takes place because the US and different NATO members are ramping up army help to Ukraine, having lately pledged the switch of contemporary fundamental battle tanks and different extra heavy weapons.
Biden dominated out touring to Ukraine earlier this month, saying that he solely had plans to go to Poland.
Russia despatched troops to Ukraine final February, citing the necessity to shield the individuals of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-2015 peace accords. The US has since then been one in every of Ukraine’s main backers within the battle.
Based on the Pentagon, Washington supplied Kiev with greater than $27.4 billion in safety help between February 24, 2022 and January 20, 2023. The delivered weapons embody HIMARS a number of rocket launchers, M777 howitzers, shoulder-fired anti-tank techniques, and fight drones. The US has additionally pledged to switch Bradley Combating Automobiles and M1 Abrams tanks, and has been coaching Ukrainian troopers.
Russia maintains that the “flooding” of Ukraine with weapons is not going to change the course of the battle and solely results in extra casualties. The Kremlin has warned that the Western-supplied gear can be handled as reputable targets for Russian troops.
Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned up to now that sanctions have didn’t deliver down the nation’s financial system and that Moscow has managed to adapt to restrictions.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of utilizing Western arms to kill civilians. Aleksandr Bastrykin, the pinnacle of Russia’s Investigative Committee, instructed TASS information company on Monday that round 5,000 individuals have been killed in Donbass since 2014 and almost 9,000 wounded. General, greater than 120,000 individuals have been recognized as victims of the crimes dedicated by Ukrainian forces, Bastrykin claimed.
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