U.S. President Joe Biden Visits Kyiv amidst Air Raid Sirens

During his surprise trip to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden walked alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the streets even as air-raid sirens went off in the background.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

“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. 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 tweeted.

Biden was to reportedly visit Poland, but landed in Kyiv. This unannounced wartime visit is Biden’s first to the Ukrainian capital since the start of the conflict.

The leaders visited St. Michael’s monastery and the Wall of Remembrance, where portraits are on display of more than 4,500 soldiers who have died since Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.

Zelenskyy pleaded for U.S.’ extended support when he visited the country briefly in December. U.S. senators Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse met Zelenskyy in January 2023 in the presidential palace and received a briefing on the country's security situation.