WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will travel to Poland this month to mark the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House announced.
Biden will visit Poland from Feb. 20 through Feb. 22 where he will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda “to discuss our bilateral cooperation, as well as our collective efforts to support Ukraine and bolster NATO’s deterrence,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
Biden also plans to meet with leaders of the so-called Bucharest 9 group of eastern-flank NATO allies.
The trip is meant to highlight Ukraine’s resilience in the face of a Russian military campaign that many expected would topple its government in a matter of days.
Biden has helped marshal an international coalition to supply Kyiv with arms and funding to aid its defense, and has imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow in an effort to hamper its war effort. The administration has committed nearly $30 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion.
Visiting Europe will give Biden the chance to meet in-person with allies to shore up their efforts on behalf of Ukraine. Biden last month announced the U.S. would provide Ukrainian forces with Abrams tanks, a decision that helped unlock a supply of German-made Leopard tanks that are set to arrive sooner.
Poland, which borders Ukraine, has been an outspoken voice in NATO for a coordinated response to Russian President Vladimir Putin. About 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees have settled in Poland, according to the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees.
