Russia-Ukraine war: US president Joe Biden makes surprise visit to Kyiv – live | Ukraine

Isobel Koshiw

Olena Hedaniyivna, a retired humanities teacher who was nearby when Zelenskiy and Biden left Mikhailivskyi Cathedral in Kyiv, said she only had “positive” emotions towards Biden’s visit and that Ukrainians were “happy for the support”.

Asked if she thought it would influence the anticipated speech by Russian president Vladimir Putin, scheduled for tomorrow, she said:

No, everything in his mind is of his own making. He’ll do whatever he wants.

Isobel Koshiw

Metropolitan Lavrentyi or Lawrence, a senior priest in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, said he greeted Biden this morning together with Metropolitan Epifanyi, the leader of the Ukrainian church, at Mikhailivskyi Cathedral in Kyiv.

Metropolitan Lavrentyi said Biden wished that US support would continue and that America was convinced Ukraine would win.

He declared his wish and certainty that the US would continue to support Ukraine in all respects. Together with Zelenskiy, he said they don’t just hope, they believe in Ukraine’s victory. They are convinced it will happen.

He said Biden was in a good mood and the sirens started just as he was exiting the church.

He was very welcoming. He was joking about. He said to me ‘Father you can smile’, probably because I was looking serious.

Lavrentyi said they were told there would be a high-level foreign delegation but they did not know who it would be.

Lavrentyi told Biden the history of the cathedral which was rebuilt after being destroyed by the Soviets.

He looked around the church and said a few words about the fact that he is close to the church, a believer and has a religious education.

Speaking alongside Volodymyr Zelenskiy at Mariinsky Palace, Joe Biden recalled the fears nearly a year ago that Russia’s invasion forces might quickly take the Ukrainian capital.

“One year later, Kyiv stands,” Biden said.

Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.

He warned that the “brutal and unjust war” is far from won, and that there will be “very difficult days and weeks and years ahead”.

But Vladimir Putin’s “war of conquest is failing”, the US president said. He said the Russian leader counted on the world not sticking together, “but he’s just been plain wrong”.

One year later, the evidence is right here in this room. We stand here together.

Biden pledged long-term support for Ukraine, saying that “freedom is priceless. It’s worth fighting for for as long as it takes. And that’s how we’re going to be with you.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said his negotiations with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, were “very fruitful” during a joint press conference in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian leader described Biden’s visit to Ukraine as “the most important visit of the whole history of US-Ukraine relations” which underlines “the results we have already achieved” and the “historic achievements we might gain together with the whole world”.

He thanked the US president personally as well as Congress and the American people, ahead of the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The result of this visit will “surely have a reflection on the battlefield”, Zelenskiy said, adding that he and Biden discussed long-range weapons and the weapons “that may still be supplied to Ukraine”.

“Ukraine is grateful to you, Mr President,” Zelenskiy said.

Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or via email.

Andrew Roth

The Kremlin did not immediately make any comment on Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv on Monday, although the trip is expected to be viewed in the Kremlin as the latest confirmation that Moscow is fighting not just against Ukraine but against the collective west led by Washington as well.

“I don’t think the Russians would be surprised,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of R.Politik, a political analysis firm.

It will be for them another proof that Washington has unambiguously chosen its camp… It’s a proof of total disruption with Russia, confirmation that now the West bets on the strategic defeat of Putin.

Biden’s visit comes one day before Vladimir Putin is scheduled to give a state of the nation address that could bring a further Russian escalation in the war.

“I am expecting that tomorrow Putin may be extremely hawkish with the West in his annual address,” she said.

Without any official comment, Russian state television gave circumspect reports on Biden’s visit.

“Zelensky is in wild delight — he’s just published his first photos on social media with Biden from Kyiv,” said a host on the Russian political talk show 60 Minutes on state-run television, adding reports on new promises of military aid to Ukraine. “It’s the genuine Joe Biden in Ukraine. On your screens now.”

A political commentator quickly suggested that the visit was a “good start to Biden’s reelection campaign.”

But some Russian pro-war commentators on Telegram used Biden’s visit as an opportunity to launch a careful attack on Putin for failing to visit the warzone.

“Look, there are two grandpas,” wrote Zastavny, a pro-war Russian blog with more than 110,000 subscribers.

One of them is old, has all the signs of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and nighttime urination, the whole world makes fun of him. The other grandpa looks very good, has a spring in his step, speaks well, thinks clearly, and has the widely accepted reputation of a strong and brave leader.

But only one of [the leaders] has actually come to Kyiv. And the other one [Putin] didn’t go to Donetsk, he still hasn’t gone.

• Joe Biden has arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, defying threats of Russian missile attacks, to announce significant additional US weapons supplies, as Ukraine prepares to mark the sombre anniversary of last year’s full-scale Russian invasion.

• The US president, closely surrounded by a large security detail, was escorted by his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodomyr Zelenskiy, on a walkabout around central Kyiv as air sirens could be heard, confirming rumours of a visit that had been circulating during the morning.

• Zelenskiy posted an image to Telegram of him together Biden, alongside the message “Joseph Biden, welcome to Kyiv! Your visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians.”

• In a brief public appearance, Zelenskiy spoke first, in English, thanking Americans for their support. He said that when the war started the first phone call of support he got was from the White House. Biden spoke second. He talked about it being important that the president of the US be here on the anniversary of the war, and said it’s critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about US support.

• A statement issued by the White House to accompany the visit stated that the US “will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments. And that later this week, [the US] will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine.”

• The visit came as EU foreign ministers met in Brussels. The 27-nation bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said the EU needs to ensure that Ukraine has enough ammunition to continue its fight against the Russian invasion. “It is the most urgent issue. If we fail on that, the result of the war is in danger. The Russian artillery shoots about 50,000 shots a day, and Ukraine needs to be at the same level of capacity. They have cannons but they lack ammunition.”

• Turkey is not exporting products that could be used in Russia’s war effort, foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Monday, after US warnings this month about exports of chemicals, microchips and other items.

• The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said on Monday in Ankara that Washington strongly supports Sweden and Finland’s quick Nato accession. Turkey has been an obstacle to ratifying their membership.

• China will never accept the US pointing fingers at Sino-Russia relations, the Chinese foreign ministry said at its regular news briefing on Monday. The comments came after Blinken suggested China may be ready to supply Russia with arms. China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, is expected in Moscow today.

That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you shortly.