Biden met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital in a defiant display of Western solidarity with a country still fighting what he called “a brutal and unjust war” days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
The visit also came on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled state-of-the-nation address, which some in Russia expect to set the tone for the year ahead — including for Putin’s bogged-down campaign in Ukraine, according to AP.
Biden spent more than five hours in Kyiv, consulting with Zelenskyy on next steps, honoring the country’s fallen soldiers and seeing U.S. embassy staff.