The US will back Ukraine in its fight against Russia for “as long as it takes”, President Joe Biden said as he made an unannounced and symbolic visit to the capital, Kyiv.
“We have every confidence you’re going to continue to prevail,” he said.
Mr Biden’s first trip to Ukraine as president comes days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
He said President Putin had been “dead wrong” to think Russia could outlast Ukraine and its Western allies.
Mr Biden has been meeting Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the pair visited a memorial to soldiers who have died in the nine years since Russia annexed Crimea and its proxy forces captured parts of the eastern Donbas region.
His presence is intended to reaffirm America’s “unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity”, according to a White House statement.
According to the New York Times, President Biden took a 10-hour train journey from Poland to reach Kyiv.
Mr Biden is expected to announce more military support for Ukraine, including ammunition and air surveillance radars.
A new wave of sanctions against individuals and companies “that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine” will also be announced later this week. —BBC
