President Biden has now departed Kyiv after making an unannounced visit to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The
US leader reaffirmed his country's support for Ukraine, pledging more
weapons for Kyiv and promising new sanctions for Russia.
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People have
gathered around St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in central Kyiv following
US President Joe Biden’s visit there.
Oleksandra
Soloviova said she saw a video of Biden on social media and headed to the area
to soak up the atmosphere.
“For me, as a
regular citizen of Ukraine, I just feel excitement,” the 26-year-old says.
“To me, it’s an
important sign for the whole world. For Russia first of all, it shows the US
supports us and will continue supporting us, with sanctions and military
equipment.”
We're hearing that US President Joe Biden has now left the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
He
was scheduled to travel to Poland today, but in a surprise visit,
arrived in Kyiv to meet Ukraine's President Zelensky this morning.
Chris Partridge
BBC News weapons analyst
We’ve had some more details on those additional $500m (£415m) worth
of weapons that Joe Biden has pledged to Ukraine.
The extra artillery ammunition comprises more rockets for HIMARS,
the wheeled and highly mobile multiple launch rocket systems that have proved
so effective on the battlefield already. They fire precision-guided GMLRS
munitions and are accurate to within a few metres at ranges of up to 50 miles (80km).
The anti-armour weapons comprise Javelin missiles to take
out tanks and similar vehicles. These shoulder-launched weapons automatically
guide themselves to target, striking from the top where the armour is at its
weakest.
The key for Ukraine to is continue to weapons-feed their
military machine in the east of the country, where Russia is capable of keeping
up a high rate of artillery attacks.
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It's been a busy start to a week that's likely to only get busier, as Friday marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Here are the latest developments from Ukraine so far today: ,US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv
- his first since the start of the war. Rumours that he might cross the
border into Ukraine from Poland, where he was scheduled to make a
visit, had been swirling for days ,Biden and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky then appeared alongside
each other in central Kyiv and later gave a joint address, in which Zelensky thanked Biden for the "unwavering" support Ukraine had received from the US ,And Biden said he would announce more critical equipment to Ukraine including a $500m weapons pledge ,Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss the bloc's latest sanctions package against Russia, to be announced over the course of the week ,China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, is in Moscow - a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China is considering giving Russia "lethal support" in the shape of weapons and ammunition
Defence and security expert at the
University of Bath and former Nato analyst, Dr Patrick Bury, has said the main takeaway from Biden's meeting is the
commitment from Nato allies that “we are in this for the long run”.
Speaking to BBC News, he said: “They are signalling to Vladimir Putin that
basically we are in this and are not going to back down and therefore you are
going to have to question your fundamental assumptions about trying to outlast
us in this war.”
Bury also spoke about Biden making a surprise visit today
rather than on the one year anniversary on 24 February.
He said: “In terms of the timing, they probably didn’t want
to send the president on the anniversary because of the increased risks of
Russian bombardment that day.
“It would have been planned for a good while, these visits,
they take a lot of security planning of course, and it was probably discussed or
even mooted before when Zelensky visited the US back in December.”
US
President Joe Biden has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in
Kyiv during a visit that was shrouded in secrecy until this morning.
He also met the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, as you can watch below.
I have been speaking to people on the streets in Kyiv about
their reactions to the US president’s visit.
Lawyer Roksoliana Gera told us she was “really surprised”
when she crossed the street and caught a glimpse of Joe Biden.
“I’m so grateful for his support. It means so much to us,”
she says. “I appreciate his courage, that he took on this challenge and came to
show the support of the American nation.”
Roksoliana said she was particularly grateful that he had
chosen today – the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – to visit.
The
day commemorates the more than 100 people killed nine years ago when
the government of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown
in what's known as the Revolution of Dignity.
“On this day, when we are trying to remember all the
defenders of Ukrainian liberty in 2014, it’s a good sign for us,” she says.
“It’s such a historical day,” she says of
Biden’s visit
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In
his speech alongside President Zelensky, President Biden commended
Ukraine's courage during the war, while noting he had visited Kyiv six
times when he had earlier served as vice president.
"I knew I would be back," he said.
"Putin
thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided... he’s counting on
us not sticking together. He was counting on the inability to keep Nato
united. He was counting on us not to be able to bring in others to the
side of Ukraine.
"He thought he could outlast us. I don’t think he’s thinking that right now. He’s just been plain wrong."
The air raid sirens wailed while Zelensky and Biden were inside St Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in central Kyiv.
Earlier, Biden said Washington would provide Kyiv with a new military aid package worth $500m that would be announced tomorrow.
Chris Partridge
BBC News weapons analyst
The
United States has repeatedly stated that it will help
Ukraine with weapons for as "long as it takes" and what Joe Biden is
saying this morning after he turned up in Kyiv with the Ukrainian
president further
reinforces that commitment.
While there are no specifics on the detail, we do now know from a White House statement that
more artillery ammunition is being pledged, along with anti-armour systems ahead
of a possible new ground offensive by Russia.
In addition, the provision of air surveillance radars points
to the critical need for protection against Russian cruise missiles and other
air-launched precision munitions – as well as Russian aircraft.
These radars will give additional warning to the Ukrainian military of any air
attacks.
Again no mention of Western jets, perhaps
unsurprisingly as President Biden already ruled out sending F-16s from the US
to Ukraine, given the complexities of such a move.
To date, the United States has committed $30bn in
security assistance to Ukraine and it seems it won’t be ending anytime soon.
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-
In a televised joint statement, flanked by Biden, Zelensky says that the "democratic world" has to "win this historic fight".
"It's
the most important visit of the whole history of US-Ukraine relations,"
Zelensky says, adding that it "underlines the results we have already
achieved".
"Today our negotiations were very fruitful," Zelensky says.
He
adds that the results of this visit will surely be seen and have a
reflection on the battlefield. The US decision to give Abrams tanks to
Ukraine earlier in January has already contributed to reinforcing
Ukraine's defence, Zelensky says, adding that he and Biden also talked
about long-range weapons.
"I
know there will be a very signfiicant package of support to Ukraine...
serving a clear signal that Russia's aggression has no chance," Zelensky
says.
"Ukraine is grateful to you, Mr President" he says to Biden.
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Ahead
of a press conference, Joe Biden sat down for a chat with Volodymyr
Zelensky and said he was “looking forward to discussing the world” with
him.
He also praised the citizens of Ukraine for their “heroic”
fighting – despite a lack of military experience.
He said: “Again the admiration for the people of Ukraine,
ordinary, hardworking citizens, who had never trained in the military, but the
way they stepped up is just beyond heroic and the whole world thinks so.”
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Biden's secret trip to Ukraine was made via train from the border of Poland, the New York Times reports.
The
visit to Kyiv remained a secret because of security concerns. Reports
also say that that Biden departed Washington without notice after he and
his wife Jill had a rare dinner out at a restaurant on Saturday night.
Officials had denied that Biden would visit Ukraine during his scheduled to trip to eastern Europe.
The
New York Times says: "Indeed, the White House on Sunday night issued a
public schedule for Monday showing the president still in Washington and
leaving in the evening for Warsaw, when in fact he was already half a
world away."
We're
still getting more detail about Joe Biden's surprise arrival in Ukraine
on what will be seen as a symbolic visit ahead of the 12-month
anniversary of the Russian invasion.
You
can watch the moment the pair left St Michael's Cathedral in central
Kyiv at a time when air raid sirens sounded across the capital.
,
US President Biden said his visit to Kyiv would "reaffirm our
unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy,
sovereignty, and territorial integrity".
"When
Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was
weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he
was dead wrong," he said.
It
goes on to say that Biden and Zelensky would hold an "extended
discussion" on US support for Ukraine and that he will announce more
"critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armour
systems, and air surveillance radars" to help the Ukrainian defence.
There will also be more sanctions on Russia, the statement added.
It
said the "unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support"
by a "coalition of nations" to help defend Ukraine "will endure".
Rumours that the US president would be visiting had been building all morning.
Journalists gathered in the cold wind in front of Saint Michael's Square, trying to get a glimpse of him.
Barricades were erected and police and military officials blocked the entrance.
Everything was kept under wraps but it was clear something was going on.
The visit was over quickly, and barricades dismantled, allowing access once again to the area.
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More photos are emerging of Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv during the US president's surprise visit.
Only a few weeks ago Zelensky made a surprise visit to
Washington to meet his counterpart and to plead to US Congress for more weapons
to help his country fight back against the Russians.
Today, it is the other way around and a poignant one too as Friday
marks 12 months since Russia started to attack Ukraine.
Biden's
visit was kept secret due to intense security concerns, but various
streets in Kyiv were shut down this morning fuelling speculation
something significant was going to happen.
Ukrainian
President Zelensky has in the last few minutes posted a picture to his
official Telegram account shaking hands with the US president.
"Joseph Biden, welcome to Kyiv! Your visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians," he says.
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