Biden Will Not Visit Ukraine... Delivers Support Speech in Poland

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Poland from the 20th to the 22nd to mark one year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the White House announced that he will not visit the neighboring country Ukraine or meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

John Kirby, White House National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator, stated in a briefing on the 17th (local time) that President Biden will depart Washington DC on the night of the 20th and arrive in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, on the morning of the 21st. President Biden is scheduled to hold talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Poland to discuss ways to support Ukraine and joint efforts to strengthen the deterrence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Coordinator Kirby explained, "President Biden will express gratitude to Poland for providing $3.8 billion (approximately 4.95 trillion KRW) in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine last year and for accepting more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

President Biden will also deliver a speech in Warsaw on the night of the 21st. Coordinator Kirby said, "President Biden will mention how the United States has rallied the world to support the Ukrainian people's defense of freedom and democracy," adding, "He will make it clear that the U.S. will stand with Ukraine for as long as necessary." President Biden also gave a speech in Warsaw in March last year, shortly after the outbreak of the war.

Following this, on the 22nd, President Biden will meet with the so-called Bucharest Nine leaders to reaffirm the United States' unwavering support for the alliance's security and unity. The Bucharest Nine consists of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, which are NATO's eastern frontline countries.

However, President Biden will not directly visit Ukraine during this trip to Poland. Coordinator Kirby confirmed that the president's visit is limited to Warsaw. He also added that there are currently no plans for a meeting with President Zelensky.

Additionally, ahead of a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on the 3rd of next month, President Biden is scheduled to have phone calls next week with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.