Named the time of Biden’s visit closer to Ukraine

The President of the United States decided to mark the anniversary of the beginning of the conflict in a peculiar way

US President Biden intends to visit Poland on the anniversary of the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

As the White House announced on Friday, President Joe Biden will travel to Poland this month to gather allies a year after the conflict in Ukraine began. The American leader seeks to preserve the coalition that supported the defense of Kyiv, according to the Associated Press.

Poland is a key NATO ally, currently hosting thousands of US troops, and serving as a hub for Western arms supplies to Ukraine. US troops are also training Ukrainian troops there, CNN recalls.

The visit, scheduled for Feb. 20-22, comes amid polls in the United States and abroad showing waning support for maintaining tens of billions of dollars of military and economic aid to Ukraine in a protracted conflict. In addition, Republicans, who recently took control of the House of Representatives, have expressed skepticism – or outright opposition – to continued funding, the Associated Press emphasizes.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden during his tour will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and leaders of the Bucharest Nine, who are NATO allies in Eastern Europe, to discuss his “unwavering support” for the alliance.

She added that Biden will give a speech about how the United States “will continue to support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

“He wants to talk about the importance of the resolve and unity of the international community in supporting Ukraine over the course of this year,” John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator at the National Security Council, said of Biden’s plans in Poland.

Kirby said Biden would send a message of continued US support for Ukraine’s efforts. “We know that the next weeks and months will be difficult and critical, especially for their own forces, and the United States is committed to continuing to support them,” he said.

It remains unclear, the Associated Press notes, whether Biden could make an attempt to visit Ukraine, as many other Western leaders and members of the US Congress have already done.

Biden visited Poland just weeks after the conflict began on Feb. 24, 2022, when he delivered a speech in support of Ukraine’s defense in front of the iconic Royal Castle in Warsaw. At the time, Biden went so far as to say that Putin “cannot stay in power,” although the White House had to quickly backtrack on what its president had said was a blatant call for a change of power in Moscow, the Associated Press notes.

First Lady Jill Biden briefly crossed the Ukrainian border during a trip in May and met with her counterpart, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, at the latter’s first public event since the conflict began. Biden, as well as White House officials, have highlighted the unique security concerns associated with a potential U.S. presidential visit to Ukrainian territory.

Biden hosted President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in December, where the Ukrainian leader also pushed for more Western weapons and support during an address to Congress.

US Vice President Kamala Harris is also expected to arrive in Europe this month to attend the Munich Security Conference, where the conflict in Ukraine will be the main topic of discussion among world leaders, CNN reports.