US President Joe Biden at a military airport in Warsaw on February 20, 2023.
Warsaw/Kyiv/Moscow – US President Joe Biden today begins a two-day visit to Poland, where he arrived after a surprise Monday on the way to Kiev. This is happening shortly before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow launched on February 24 last year, triggering the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni should visit Ukraine today. Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech on the state of his country.
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According to the White House, Biden will meet his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda in Warsaw and give a speech at the Royal Palace in the afternoon, in which he is expected to reaffirm his commitment to help Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. According to Duda's office, Poland expects the strengthening of NATO's eastern wing from Biden's visit. On Wednesday, the US president is scheduled to meet with representatives of the so-called Bucharest Nine (B9), which also includes the Czech Republic.
Biden arrived in Poland on Monday evening from an unannounced trip to the Ukrainian capital, where he spent about five hours the same day and announced a new package of military aid. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the visit was “an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians”.
According to agency sources, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who met her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki on Monday in Warsaw, could also visit Ukraine today . She should have a meeting with Zelensky on the agenda in Kyiv. Despite disagreements in Italy's governing coalition and divided public opinion over Ukraine, Meloni is seen as a staunch supporter of Kiev in its defense against a Russian invasion. She has already announced that she intends to visit Ukraine even before the first anniversary of the invasion.
Three days before the anniversary, Russian President Vladimir Putin will address members of parliament and other members of the ruling elite with a speech on the state of the country. According to the Kremlin, the president will focus on the fighting in Ukraine, as well as the social and economic situation in Russia. It will be Putin's 18th speech on the state of the country, participants of combat operations are expected among the guests.
