Every evening, the White House releases President Joe Biden’s public schedule for the following day.
On Sunday, it was said he would receive his daily national security briefing as usual on Monday morning before leaving the White House at 6:40 p.m. to travel to Poland.
But by the time the schedule landed in reporters’ inboxes just after 7 p.m. Sunday, Biden was long gone. He was already halfway to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
The sham was just part of the meticulous planning that enabled the president to make a visit that officials described as “unprecedented.”
“Unlike previous presidential visits to war-torn areas like Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. obviously has no military presence on the ground in Ukraine, which made a sitting president’s visit all the more difficult,” Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, told reporters. “But that was a risk Joe Biden was willing to take.”
President Joe Biden’s trip to Kiev was kept secret. The White House had said he was spending Sunday at the White House before flying to Poland. Instead, he got off Air Force One at 4:15 a.m. before showing up with President Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital on Monday
Biden and Zelensky stop to speak at the “Walk of the Brave,” a name where signs mark those who helped fight the Russian invasion of Ukraine
For this trip, Biden traveled with a stripped-down entourage. Only a handful of his closest advisers escorted a small medical team and his intelligence commando to Joint Base Andrews before sunrise Sunday morning.
The traveling press pool was reduced from the normal 13 people to just two: one photographer and one reporter. They were sworn to secrecy and their phones were taken away from them.
The only helpers were Jake Sullivan, the President’s national security adviser; Jen O’Malley Dillon, his Deputy Chief of Staff; and Annie Tomasini, the director of the Oval Office.
Her transatlantic flight departed at 4:15 a.m. before dawn.
According to a source, Air Force One has been sighted at Rzeszów, the airport where US arms arrive and which serves as a transportation hub for VIPs taking the train to Kiev.
With the airspace over Ukraine contested by Russian fighter jets, the 10-hour train journey remains the safest route.
Biden has been keen to visit Kiev for months. But his intelligence protectors said there was no way to get him in and out safely, even as French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two British Prime Ministers, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, that did trip.
Other options have been explored, such as a quick hop across the border (much like the First Lady did last year) to meet President Volodomyr Zelensky, or a longer trip to the western city of Lviv.
This time, the final decision rested with Biden himself.
World leaders like President Emmanuel Macron of France have taken the 10-hour night train from Poland to get to Kiev. Air travel is too dangerous
Officials have released some details about the President’s moves. Air Force One departed from Joint Base Andrews on Sunday morning. It is seen here at Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland, a departure point for VIPs to catch the train to Kiev
President Joe Biden will be received by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a surprise visit to Kiev on Monday morning. Biden announced new $500 million in aid to Ukraine
Biden and Zelensky visit Wall of Remembrance to pay tribute to killed Ukrainian soldiers amid Russian attack on Ukraine. Air raid sirens wailed through the city during the visit
“God knows what he’s thinking”: President Biden says Putin falters against a united West and announces new aid for Ukraine
President Biden spoke for ten minutes Monday morning at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv. He expressed his continued commitment to Ukraine’s struggle and announced new aid.
These were the main points:
“Democracy Stands”
“A year ago, the world was literally preparing for the fall of Kiev… Maybe even the end of Ukraine
“A year later, Kiev is standing. Ukraine stands. democracy stands.
“Americans are on your side and the world is on your side.”
U.S. President Joe Biden, left, makes a statement as he stands next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace during an unannounced visit to Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, February 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
for help
“Today, this announcement includes artillery ammunition for HIMARs… more javelins, anti-tank, air surveillance radar to protect the Ukrainian people.
“Later this week we will announce additional sanctions against corporate elites who seek to circumvent sanctions and support the confines of the Russian war machine.
“And thanks to bipartisan support in Congress, we are providing billions in direct budget support this week, billions in direct support that the government can use immediately to support the delivery of essential services to citizens.”
Putin loses
“Russia’s goal was to wipe Ukraine off the map. Putin’s war of conquest fails. Russia’s military has lost half of its once occupied territory.
“Young talented Russians are fleeing by the tens of thousands because they don’t want to return to Russia. Not only fleeing the military, but also fleeing from Russia itself because they see no future in their country.”
About Putin’s misjudgment
“When Putin launched his invasion almost a year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West divided. He thought he could outlive us. But he was dead wrong.
‘As you know, Mr President, I said at the beginning, he expects that we won’t stick together. He reckoned with the inability to keep NATO united
He reckoned that we would not be able to bring others to Ukraine’s side.
‘He thought he could outlive us. I don’t think he thinks that now. God knows what he’s thinking.”
“The President was fully briefed on each phase of the plan and any potential contingencies, and then after a meeting in the Oval Office and over the phone with some key members of his national security cabinet on Friday, he made the final go or no-go decision,” the deputy said National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer.
Only a handful of relevant officials were informed of the plan to ensure secrecy.
And there was one more step to ensure nothing could go wrong: warning the Russians to back down if they took any action that could plunge the US and Russia into outright war.
“We have informed the Russians that President Biden is going to Kiev,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. We did this a few hours before he left to resolve conflicts.
“And because of the sensitive nature of this communication, I will not go into how they reacted or what the precise nature of our message was.”
The first thing the world knew of Biden’s arrival was when photos surfaced of him walking around with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in downtown Kiev.
The traveling press pool was blocked from broadcasting real-time updates on Biden’s location. Instead, they only sent updates after he arrived in Kyiv and did not provide details on how he entered the country.
American warplanes were reportedly unusually busy in the skies over Poland near the border, although officials said they had not crossed Ukrainian airspace.
These included the E-3 Sentry airborne radar and an RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic aircraft, both of which have surveillance capabilities.
Details of Biden’s visit were reported about an hour after each incident. It was his arrival at the Mariinsky Palace, where he was received by Zelensky and First Lady Olena.
There they met to discuss how the US can continue to support Ukraine.
“I thought it was crucial that there was no doubt whatsoever about US support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden explained the reason for his visit as he sat down for talks.
From there it was on to St. Michael’s Cathedral with its gold dome and an opportunity to pay respects to Ukraine’s war dead. The couple left wreaths at a memorial, unperturbed by the sound of air raid sirens wailing across the city.
Biden then met with US Embassy staff.
At 2 p.m. local time, the press pool was cleared to announce that Biden was no longer in Kyiv. In total, he had spent about five hours on the ground.
Enthusiastic officials then briefed the media using words like “historic” and “unprecedented.”
Officials gave no further details on how he got on or off. They said they would not do so until the trip was complete.
Sullivan said Biden was looking forward to the trip and gave it the green light after hearing a full safety assessment. that the security risks were not sufficient to prevent this
“I just want to say that he received a full presentation of a very good and very effective operational security plan,” he said.
‘He heard that presentation. He was convinced that the risk was manageable. And he ultimately made the decision.’