US President Joe Biden has made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine at a time when the war has been going on for almost a year, writes Reuters.
Biden arrived in Kyiv on Monday, the 20th of February. Air raid sirens sounded as the US president arrived in Kyiv, although there were no reports of Russian missiles or air attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he and Biden discussed possible deliveries of long-range weapons and added that the visit was particularly important for all Ukrainians as it showed support from the West.
The White House has informed that Biden will announce more sanctions against Russia and increase military support for Ukraine.
The US president’s visit to the war-torn country takes place a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s planned speech, which will discuss Russia’s goals in the second year of the war. The anniversary of the war has taken on more than symbolic significance, becoming what the West sees as motivation for the deadliest phase of the war as Moscow sends thousands of recruits and mercenaries into a winter offensive.
So far, Russia along the frozen trenches on the eastern front has managed to achieve only minor successes. Kyiv and Western allies believe it could be a push to try to give Putin victories to glorify the war, which began a year ago and is Europe’s biggest military conflict since World War II.
In recent days, Washington has been worried about Beijing’s possible military support for Russia. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China stated that the USA is not in such a position to make demands on China and that its relations with Russia are an internal matter of two independent countries.
The British Ministry of Defense has informed that Russia is suffering huge losses, including two brigades of elite soldiers, most likely completely destroyed in the attempt to capture Vuhledar.
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