The ins and outs of Joe Biden’s surprising trip to kyiv

First modification: 02/20/2023 – 23:31

It gave the image of a daily walk. An empty square, a sunny day and two men calmly walking through the center of kyiv. But it was a unprecedented meeting. Joe Biden, the president of the United States, visited the Ukrainian capital and met with his counterpart, Volodimir Zelensky.

Only the remains of Russian war tanks and other armored vehicles destroyed in the war betrayed the unconventional nature of the encounter: For the first time in modern history, an American president visited a war zone..

A journey loaded with meaning. Biden arrived in Ukraine a few days after one year of the Russian invasion of the country, which is the next february 24. The president’s presence seemed to send a message: Washington’s support for kyiv continues and is strengthened.

“It is the most important visit in the entire history of relations between Ukraine and the United States,” said Zelensky himself. And the first in 15 years.

An encounter that beyond symbolicalso led to the announcement of $500 million in military aid from the United States to Ukraine.

a surprise visit

Biden’s presence was surprising. His arrival had not been announced to journalists. And photos of the US president in kyiv began circulating hours after he set foot on Ukrainian soil.

Almost like a contradiction, the ones that yes they were notified they were the russian authorities. According to Moscow and Washington officials, Biden’s trip had been announced to the Kremlin for avoid risk of a possible attack on kyiv.

Despite this, their arrival in Ukrainian territory had meant an enormous logistical effort, even months. According to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, “required a security, operational and logistical effort by professionals across the US government to take what was an inherently risky undertaking and turn it into a manageable risk.”

Since last year, Biden had expressed his desire to come to kyiv to reiterate his support for Zelensky face to face. An aspiration that had been put on hold and that had only obtained the approval of the president last Friday.

A ‘Hollywood’ tour

Biden’s trip was already a challenge: even more to keep it confidential. The details of the tour were shared after the meeting of the two leaders.

Biden left the White House around 3:30 in the morning (local time) on Sunday. The president came out in the dark in a Air Force C-32 aircrafta modified Boeing 757 that, as AP claims, “is used for domestic travel to smaller airports.”

The plane in which he headed to the old continent was marked ‘SAMo6o’ and left Andrews Air Force Base.

Biden and his team did a little stopover in germany to tank the aircraft. then took off for Poland. The president arrived in Rzeszow, in the southeast of the country. A place that has served as a gateway for Western weaponry to Ukraine and also for its high-level visitors.

ten hours in train separated Biden from kyiv. At 8 in the morning (local time) on Monday the president set foot in the Ukrainian capital. There he was received by the Ambassador Bridget Brink and went to the residence of the Ukrainian president, the Mariinsky Palace.

kyiv authorities they adapted the city to receive it cordoning off several main streets. Some preparations that cut the constant flow of people in the center of the city and that left a devastated square for the tour of the leaders.

Biden and Zelenski decided to even enter St. Michael’s Cathedral. “Let’s go in and take a look,” Biden proposed.

He silence in which the heads of state walked was seen disrupted by anti-aircraft alarms that sounded at 11:34 when they left the premises. A reminder of the war that seemed not to disturb the presidents.

The visit was short-lived. Biden traveled to Poland this Monday. There the president will deliver a long-awaited speech this Tuesday, simultaneously with the speech on the state of the nation that his counterpart Vladimir Putin will deliver in Moscow.

A journey fraught with risks

Among the details of the trip to Ukraine, US forces highlighted security risks.

The US military has no presence in Ukraine. Just a small group guarding the embassy in kyiv. A reality that it complicated the movement with respect to that of other presidents to war zones.

As the AP shows, Biden he traveled “with a much smaller entourage than usual.” In the company of only two journalists, when their tours are usually accompanied by a dozen. All of his electronic devices were turned off and delivered to the White House during the trip to Ukraine.

Many were the risks but even the smallest details seemed to be under control. Even from space. Biden’s visit was being watched by E-3 Sentry airborne radar and an RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic aircraft.

With Reuters and AP