Biden came to Kyiv to support the authorities

US President Joe Biden made a short, unannounced visit to Kyiv on the morning of February 20 by train from Poland. He stayed there for about five hours, after which the American leader returned. According to Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, on his Telegram channel, representatives of the American administration previously informed the Russian leadership about the visit.

In Kiev, Biden expressed support for Ukraine, held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and, among other things, announced a package of US military assistance to Kiev worth a relatively modest $450 million. The package will include artillery shells, missiles for HIMARS systems and howitzers, Javelin anti-tank systems and radars, but not the long-range weapons that Ukraine previously requested. Biden acknowledged that “very difficult days, weeks and years” lie ahead for Ukraine.

From the US point of view, Biden’s visit to Kyiv should lead to the consolidation of the political elite of Ukraine, said Denis Denisov, director of the Institute for Peacekeeping Initiatives and Conflict Studies. Support from the American leader, as conceived by Biden’s associates and Ukrainian politicians, should have a rallying effect on the Kyiv authorities. This is especially important given the existing contradictions between the political and military elite, and specifically between Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny. According to Denisov, Washington requires Ukraine to attack at any cost, but this idea is opposed by the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is aware of the current problems at the front. Therefore, through his visit to Kyiv, Biden is trying to force Ukraine to take steps in the interests of the American understanding of the strategy. In addition, one should not forget about the symbolic side of the visit: in a situation where the informational component prevails over the real state of affairs, such gestures can be of great importance, Denisov sums up.

There is also domestic political logic in Biden’s visit, Alexei Naumov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, believes. Despite the fact that Biden has no competitors within the Democratic Party, he will have to compete with Republicans who pay a lot of attention to foreign policy. Biden’s opponents advocate a strong foreign policy and an active US role in the international arena, which Biden is trying to show with his visit to Kyiv. According to Naumov, this is how Biden presents himself as a strong leader capable of leading America into the 21st century. In addition, the president needs to demonstrate to Americans who are always interested in the economy that the funds allocated to Kyiv are going to work. Thus, in addition to expressing support for Ukraine, Biden’s visit also carries a serious domestic political message, the expert concludes.

The significance of Biden’s visit to Kyiv should not be overestimated – this is just another demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine, said Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, a senior fellow at the Center for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Thus, the United States is trying to motivate not the Kyiv authorities, but the ordinary population to continue hostilities, demonstrating “unity with the Ukrainian people.” In the domestic politics of the United States, the expert continues, the Ukrainian issue does not play such an important role as it seems at first glance, so Biden is unlikely to try to influence his electorate with his visit.