Officials say Biden's wartime visit to Kyiv was sparked by Zelensky's trip to D.C.


President Biden's clandestine visit to Kyiv on Monday started to come together not long after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Washington, D.C., in late December, two people with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.
Biden went to the Ukrainian capital to show solidarity with the country and to bolster the Western alliance that is supporting Ukraine. Administration officials said the American public reacted positively to Zelensky and his address to a joint session of Congress, and this showed the importance of Biden making a similarly major move ahead of the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The stop in Kyiv was arranged by senior members of Biden's national security team, NBC News reports, and was incorporated into a trip to Poland that was publicly announced 10 days ago. "Discussions about possibly going have been underway for months and really accelerated in recent weeks," a senior administration official said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It was understood by everyone involved that it wasn't possible to guarantee Biden's safety in a war zone where the U.S. is not an active partner, and one official told NBC News that many "intense" conversations were had about security measures. Just a few hours before Biden left for Ukraine, a phone call was made to Russia to let them know he was on his way, for "deconfliction" purposes, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday. The trip "required a security, operational, and logistical effort from professionals across the U.S. government to take what was an inherently risky undertaking and make it a manageable level of risk," he added. "But, of course, there was still risk and is still risk in an endeavor like this."
Biden did not fly into Ukraine; he got on a train at the Polish border, and embarked on a 10-hour journey to Kyiv. While Biden could have chosen to visit another city closer to the border, he wanted to go to Kyiv to show that it is still standing and wasn't easily toppled by Russia, a person familiar with the matter told NBC News. Zelensky praised Biden for coming to Kyiv, tweeting that his visit is "Historic. Timely. Brave. ... I am thankful to the U.S. for standing with Ukraine and for our strong partnership. We are determined to work together to ensure Ukraine's victory."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Who owns Gaza? Israel's occupation plans
The Explainer Egypt, Israel and Britain have ruled the beleaguered territory
-
Savages: a tragi-comedy set in a 'quirky handcrafted world'
The Week Recommends This new animated film by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Claude Barras is undeniably political, but it has a hopeful message
-
Why 'faceless bots' are interviewing job hunters
In The Spotlight Artificial intelligence is taking over a crucial part of recruitment
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring push
Speed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additions
Speed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein files
Speed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
-
Eighty years after Hiroshima: how close is nuclear conflict?
Today's Big Question Eight decades on from the first atomic bomb 'we have blundered into a new age of nuclear perils'
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oil
Speed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymander
Speed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats
-
Texas Democrats exit state to block redistricting vote
Speed Read More than 51 legislators fled the state in protest of the GOP's plan to redraw congressional districts
-
Trump criticized for firing BLS chief after jobs report
Speed Read Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Erika McEntarfer oversaw a July jobs report that the president claims was rigged