Joe Biden visits Poland to discuss increasing Nato presence amid Ukraine war

Mr Biden is visiting Warsaw on Tuesday to deliver a significant speech underscoring the commitment of the US and Nato allies to the war in Ukraine
Sami Quadri21 February 2023

US President Joe Biden and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda are set to discuss increasing Nato’s presence in the country during a high-profile visit.

Mr Biden is visiting Warsaw on Tuesday to deliver a significant speech underscoring the commitment of the US and Nato allies to the war in Ukraine.

The Polish president’s foreign affairs advisor Marcin Przydacz said the pair will discuss how to make the country’s eastern flank safer.

"(We will discuss) the security of the Polish state and allied cooperation with the USA, also within Nato, what can we do to make the eastern flank, including Poland, safer," Mr Przydacz told private broadcaster TVN 24. "It is no secret that we will talk about increasing the presence, also in terms of infrastructure, of nato."

U.S. President Biden visits Poland
REUTERS

It came after Mr Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv, on Monday, to reaffirm Washington’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine, in what President Volodymyr Zelensky branded a “historic” moment.

The visit was Mr Biden’s first to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and comes just days before the war’s one year anniversary on February 24.

During his trip to the capital Kyiv, which came under air raid sirens and heightened security, Mr Biden said Washington would commit a new military aid package worth $500m (£415m).

Mr Biden said full details of the package would be announced on Tuesday and that Washington would provide more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems in Ukraine’s possession. But there was no indication of the US heeding Ukraine’s ongoing request for F-16 fighter jets.

"Historic. Timely…an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians," Mr Zelensky said after welcoming the president yesterday alongside Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.

President Biden makes a surprise visit to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine

US President Biden Visits Kyiv
1/19

"I am thankful to the US for standing with Ukraine and for our strong partnership. We are determined to work together to ensure Ukraine’s victory."

Footage showed Mr Biden walking side-by-side with Mr Zelensky on the day Ukraine paid tribute to more than 100 people killed during anti-government protests in 2014.

In a White House statement Mr Biden said he was visiting Kyiv to "reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity".

He added: "When [Russian President Vladimir] Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong."

Mr Biden commended Ukraine’s courage during the war and noted in a speech that he had visited Kyiv six times when serving as vice president. "I knew I would be back."

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