United States President Joe Biden arrived in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv early Monday morning, just ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of the country. The is his first trip to the country since war started.
Biden met with President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace to announce an additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance. The new assistance includes shells for howitzers, anti-tank missiles, air surveillance radars and other aid but no new advanced weaponry.
In his remarks, the U.S. president said he's visiting to meet with Zelenskyy and "reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity;" noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "dead wrong" in believing Ukraine was weak when he launched his invasion a year ago.
"I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine," Biden said. "I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments. And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine."
He continued: "Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support -- and that support will endure."
Biden also said he is looking forward to meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies as the U.S. looks to continue rallying the world to support Ukraine.
U.S. officials reportedly notified Kremlin that Biden was visiting the Ukrainian capital hours before he made the trip, the White House National Security Council revealed Monday. "We did notify the Russians that President Biden would be traveling to Kyiv," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday. "We did so some hours before his departure for de-confliction purposes."
Biden was expected to visit Poland on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary since the war began but instead embarked on a nearly 10-hour train ride from the Polish border to visit Ukraine's capital. He departed in the early afternoon local time after spending roughly five hours in the city.
Biden's visit comes just before Russia is expected to ramp up its offensive once again. Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year.
Back in the U.S, concern about the continued U.S. funding of the war has grown among conservatives and Republicans, as the conflict has dragged on, with lawmakers highlighting issues at home that could use additional funding -- including Biden administration's failure to protect the U.S. border against a historic migrant crisis.
Conservatives have also accused Biden and his administration of mishandling the billions of dollars in aid sent to Ukraine which facilitates corruption and money laundering by private Ukrainian and American allies of the U.S. president's family.
Congressman Matt Gaetz(R-Florida) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives earlier this month, that calls on the Biden administration to end U.S. military and financial aid to Ukraine -- while also urging all involved to secure a peace agreement.
WATCH Joe Biden's remarks in Ukraine