Biden in Ukraine for show of support amid concern China could give Putin lethal aid a year into Russia’s invasion

President Biden arrived Monday for an unannounced visit to Ukraine’s capital, a huge show of support for the country the U.S. and its allies have helped to stave off Russia’s nearly-year-long, unprovoked invasion. Mr. Biden was expected to spend time in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy before heading into neighboring Poland later in the day for meetings with other European leaders.

“I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Mr. Biden said in a statement released by the White House on Monday. 

Mr. Biden had been expected to visit Poland Monday on a trip that would have put him just one international border away from Ukraine as the world prepares to mark a full year since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked, full-scale invasion of the eastern European nation. Mr. Biden’s visit comes amid concerns first publicized Sunday by his top diplomat, who said American officials believe that China may be on the brink of providing Russia with weapons to bolster its assault against Ukraine.

Putin ordered the land invasion and the beginning of a devastating aerial bombardment of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. He sent tens of thousands of troops over the border in an attack that appeared aimed at quickly toppling the Western-aligned government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Putin’s forces vastly outnumbered Ukraine’s and for months the Russians closed in on the capital city of Kyiv from several directions, illegally annexing Ukrainian territory as they went. Many expected Kyiv to fall within just days, but a year later, Ukraine is still in a fight for its survival.

Backed by most of the Western world — and crucially, bolstered by U.S. and European weapons shipments which continue today — Zelenskyy’s troops managed to turn the tide and start clawing back territory in the second half of last year.

What Putin describes only as a “special military operation” largely stalled over the winter months, with both sides digging in along a front line that spans hundreds of miles in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, from the north to the south of the country.

“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,” Mr. Biden said in the statement released Monday by the White House. “Today, in Kyiv, I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine. 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.”

Mr. Biden said his government would announce later in the week “additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine.”

The American leader’s trip to the region this week is not only about reassuring allies that the U.S. will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, but also about the president convincing Americans it’s the right move.  

In the Polish capital of Warsaw, Mr. Biden was expected to reiterate the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine just after his government formally and publicly accused Putin’s forces of murder, torture and rape during the war, with Vice President Kamala Harris saying over the weekend “there is no doubt” that Russian forces have committed “crimes against humanity.”