President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with partners from the eastern flank of NATO in Poland on Tuesday, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine reaches an increasingly complex stage.
Following a surprise visit to Kiev, Biden traveled to Warsaw on Monday to strengthen Western solidarity as both Ukraine and Russia prepare for spring offensives. The conflict, the most serious war in Europe since World War II, has already resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure, and harm to the world economy.
Biden stated, as he stood with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv before departing for Poland, “I believed it was crucial that there be no doubt, none whatsoever, about U.S. support for Ukraine in the war.” The Ukrainian people have risen to the occasion in a manner rarely seen in the past.
On Tuesday, Vice President Biden is slated to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and deliver a speech from the gardens of Warsaw’s Royal Palace, where he is anticipated to emphasize the commitment of Poland and other friends to Ukraine during the past year. He will consult with Duda and other leaders of the Bucharest Nine, the nine easternmost members of the NATO military alliance, on Wednesday.
Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser for the White House, stated that Vice President Biden would emphasize in his Warsaw address that Russian President Vladimir Putin erroneously assumed “Ukraine would cower and the West would be divided” when he launched his attack.
Sullivan stated, “In every instance, he received the opposite.”
While Biden hopes to use his brief trip to Europe as a moment of reassurance for Ukraine and its allies, the White House has highlighted that there is no clear endpoint for the war in the near future and that the situation on the ground has become more complex.
Sunday, the administration disclosed additional evidence indicating that China, which has been neutral throughout the conflict, is now considering offering Moscow lethal aid.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that if Beijing follows through, it may become a “serious problem.”
Sullivan reported that Biden and Zelenskyy discussed the capabilities Ukraine needs “to succeed on the battlefield” in the coming months. Biden has thus far declined to give Zelenskyy with fighter jets and long-range missile systems known as ATACMS, despite pressure from Zelenskyy. Sullivan declined to comment on whether any progress was made during the leaders’ discussion.
With no end in sight for the war, the anniversary is a crucial time for Biden to attempt to strengthen European unity and emphasize that Putin’s invasion was a frontal assault on the international order established after World War II. The White House expects that the president’s trip to Ukraine and Warsaw would strengthen American and international commitment.
According to Michal Baranowski, managing director of the German Marshall Fund East, “it will be a long war.” “Ukraine would be in trouble if we lack political leadership and fail to explain to our societies why this war is crucial for their security,”
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released a poll last week indicating that support for giving Ukraine with weaponry and direct economic help is waning in the United States. Eleven House Republicans sponsored a “Ukraine fatigue” resolution earlier this month, urging Vice President Biden to halt military and financial aid to Ukraine and to encourage Ukraine and Russia to reach a peace agreement.
On his trip to Kiev, Vice President Biden refuted the notion of declining American backing.
“Despite the fact that our Congress disagrees on a number of issues, there is broad support for Ukraine,” he remarked. “In Ukraine, it’s not just about freedom…. It concerns the freedom of democracy in general.”
Some Republicans in the establishment believe it is now more vital than ever for Biden and others in Washington to emphasize why ongoing support for Ukraine is crucial.
“The basic line for me is that this is an aggressive conflict in which war crimes on steroids are broadcast daily on television. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) stated that ignoring this leads to increased violence. Putin will not halt in Ukraine. I am firmly in the camp that it is in our vital national security interest to continue to assist Ukraine, and I can and will continue to make the case at home.
Former U.S. Ambassador John Herbst, who served as the top diplomat to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006, stated that Biden’s White House can do a better job convincing domestic audiences that “at minimum keeping Putin bottled up in Ukraine” is in the U.S. economic and foreign policy interest and reduces the likelihood that Russia will escalate the conflict.
“The prudent course of action is to provide Ukraine with substantial assistance to ensure that the Putin issue is resolved,” said Herbst, senior director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council. “I have no doubt that the American public would embrace this proposal if it were articulated clearly from the Oval Office and reiteratively reiterated by the president, his senior foreign policy and national security advisors, and his national security team.”
Prior to the trip, the White House highlighted Poland’s assistance to Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees have landed in Poland, and millions more have passed through Poland on their way to other countries. According to the White House, Poland has also provided Ukraine with $3.8 billion in military and humanitarian help.
The Biden administration declared in the summer of 2012 that it will create a permanent U.S. garrison in Poland, so establishing a permanent American presence on NATO’s eastern flank.
Since last year, the United States has provided over $113 billion in aid to Ukraine, while European allies have contributed tens of billions more and welcomed millions of Ukrainian refugees who have fled the fighting.
Biden stated, “We built a coalition from the Atlantic to the Pacific.” “Russia intended to erase Ukraine from the map. Putin’s conquering campaign is failing.”
Biden will deliver a significant speech on the Russian invasion for the second time in less than a year against the backdrop of Warsaw. A few weeks after the start of the war, he delivered a strong and highly personal criticism of Putin at the Royal Palace in March of last year.
Duda stated that Biden’s presence on Polish land as the war’s anniversary approaches sends a significant message regarding the United States’ commitment to European security.
“The president will deliver a very important speech in Warsaw, one that a large portion of the world, if not the entire world, eagerly anticipates,” Duda added.
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