Among those considering a “surprise” visit to Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv are Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, Politico reported late Wednesday.
President Biden, who mourned last month during a trip to Europe that “I will not be left” on Ukrainian soil, is unlikely to be the one to leave, the report added. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that “there are no plans” for such a presidential trip.
Vice President Kamala Harris is also not considered a potential candidate, although she visited Poland and Romania last month.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken could travel to Ukraine on behalf of the White House.REUTERS / Michael A. McCoy / Pool / File Photo Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walked the streets of Kiev together last year. week. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / Brochure via REUTERS
The talks erupted a few days after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Zelensky and the two men walked the deserted streets of Kiev in solidarity.
Other leaders who recently visited Ukraine include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the presidents of Estonia, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania – who traveled by train on Wednesday.
If a decision is made to send a cabinet official, it is unlikely that an announcement will be made in advance due to security concerns, Politico reported. The agency also said that the timing of any possible trip is uncertain due to developments on the ground in Ukraine.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is also an option to travel to Ukraine. Michael A. McCoy / Pool via AP
Biden’s lack of a personal visit when he traveled to Belgium and Poland last month provoked the reprimand of Ukraine’s deputy prime minister earlier this week.
“It would be a huge symbolic step to show that he is not afraid of the rapist of the world, the slaughterer of the world, [Russian President Vladimir] “Putin, who has covered Europe in Ukrainian women’s bodies and is carrying out mass atrocities live,” Iryna Vereshchuk told CNN on Monday. “And that would be a symbolic and historic step, but it did not happen.”
At the time of the president’s visit in March, Russian troops were engaged in daily battles with Ukrainian forces in the suburbs around Kyiv. They began withdrawing earlier this month in apparent preparation for a large-scale attack in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
President Biden, who was spotted here with Polish President Andrzej Duda last month, has been criticized for not traveling to Ukraine despite recent visits to other European countries. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images Zelensky recently met with Polish President Andrzej Duda (second from left). The President of Latvia Egils Levits (second from right), the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda (left) and the President of Estonia Alar Karis (right) during their visit to Ukraine.
To help address the threat, Biden announced the approval of an additional $ 800 million in new military aid, including heavy weapons and helicopters, after an hour-long conversation with Zelensky on Wednesday.
