Biden makes unannounced trip to Kyiv ahead of Ukraine invasion anniversary; pledges $500 million in new military aid

Air raid sirens blared across the Ukrainian capital as Mr. Biden visited Kyiv, but there were no reports of Russian missile or air strikes

President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit Monday to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a gesture of solidarity that comes days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country.

Mr. Biden delivered remarks and met with Mr. Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace to announce an additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance and to reassure Ukraine of American and allied support as the conflict continues.

“One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands,” Mr. Biden said.

The Ukraine visit comes at a crucial moment in the war as Mr. Biden looks to keep allies unified in their support for Ukraine as the war is expected to intensify with both sides preparing for spring offensives.

Mr. Zelenskyy is pressing allies to speed up delivery of pledged weapon systems and is calling on the West to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine — something that Mr. Biden to date has declined to do.

Mr. Biden’s mission with his visit to Kyiv — and then Warsaw — is to underscore that the United States is prepared to stick with Ukraine “as long as it takes” to repel Russian forces even as public opinion polling suggests that US and allied support for providing weaponry and direct economic assistance has started to soften. For Mr. Zelenskyy, the symbolism of having the U.S. President stand side by side with him on Ukrainian land as the anniversary nears is no small thing as he prods the U.S. and European allies to provide more advanced weaponry and to step up the pace of delivery.

The visit also gives Mr. Biden an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the devastation the Russian invasion has caused on Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainian troops and civilians have been killed, millions of refugees have fled the war, and Ukraine has suffered tens of billions of dollars of infrastructure damage.