Zelensky Calls on Biden to Visit Ukraine

The White House said Friday that Biden doesn't plan on making the trip

In an interview that aired Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on President Biden to visit Ukraine.

Zelensky told CNN that he thinks Biden will make the trip. “I mean, it’s his decision, of course. And about the safety situation, it depends. I mean that. But I think he’s the leader of the United States, and that’s why he should come here to see,” he said.

Last week, Politico reported that the Biden administration was discussing sending a high-level official to Ukraine. The report said that President Biden or Vice President Harris could potentially make the trip. But the White House later said there are no plans to send Biden to Ukraine.

“No. no,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in an interview released Friday when asked if Biden will visit Kyiv. “We are not sending the president to Ukraine,” she added.

So far, the only US officials known to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded are Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN). The two lawmakers made a last-minute trip to Kyiv last week. The trip’s organizer is hoping to get more members of Congress to visit to convince them to vote in favor of sending more arms to Ukraine.

Other leaders of NATO countries have visited Ukraine in recent weeks, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The presidents of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have also made the trip. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier planned to join the delegation but Ukrainian officials didn’t want him to come over allegations of him having close ties to Russia.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.