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Live: ‘US will remain with Ukraine as long as it takes,’ Biden says on surprise Kyiv visit
Issued on: 20/02/2023 – 09:31
Modified: 20/02/2023 – 11:41
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US President Joe Biden shake hands in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US President Joe Biden shake hands in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023. © Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters
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US President Joe Biden on Monday made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, saying his country would remain with Ukraine “as long as it takes”. The visit comes just days ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as both sides prepare for offensives expected this spring, Russia boosted by thousands of conscripts and Ukraine fortified with Western battle tanks. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
11:25am: ‘United States will remain with Ukraine as long as it takes,’ Biden says
During his surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, US President Joe Biden said Washington would provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth $500 million.
Biden, who said his country would “remain with Ukraine as long as it takes”, said the package would be announced on Tuesday and that Washington would also provide more ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in Ukraine’s possession.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram that Biden’s visit was an “extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians” and posted a photo of the two leaders shaking hands.
11:08am: US President Biden visits Kyiv
US President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Monday, days before the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Biden met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital, where an air raid siren blared but without any reports of Russian missile or air strikes.
US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky meet in Ukraine
08:57am: US President Biden due in Poland
US President Joe Biden was expected to land in Poland on Monday to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. During the February 20-22 visit, Biden is due to meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and President Andrzej Duda, as well as Eastern European allies, with whom he will discuss Ukraine, the White House said.
In an interview with CBS on Sunday, Morawiecki said that he and Biden would also discuss possibly increasing US troop presence in Poland and making it more permanent. In June last year, the US president said his country would set up a new permanent army headquarters in Poland in response to Russian threats.
05:19am: Russia, Turkey may talk Black Sea grain deal ‘soon’
Turkish and Russian leaders may soon discuss a UN-backed initiative that has enabled the export of grain from Ukrainian ports, but there is no date set yet, a source familiar with the negotiations on the deal told RIA Novosti on Monday.
The agreement is for renewal in March, but Russia has signalled that it is unhappy with some aspects of the deal and has asked for sanctions affecting its agricultural exports to be lifted.
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According to Ukraine, broader negotiations on extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative are expected this week.
04:56am: Russia says 680 Ukrainian officials ‘charged with war crimes’
Russia has charged 680 Ukrainian officials, including 118 members of the armed forces and defence ministry, with breaking laws governing the conduct of war, including the use of weapons against civilians, TASS news agency reported on Monday.
According to the report, which quoted Russia’s chief public investigator, the Ukrainian officials were charged with the “use of prohibited means and methods of warfare”.
Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia and who reports directly to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, told the state TASS news agency that the charges include the use of weapons against the civilian population. He added that 138 of those people had been charged in absentia.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
Ukraine, one year on
Ukraine, one year on © Studio graphique France Médias Monde
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
UKRAINE WAR ANALYSIS
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY
VLADIMIR PUTIN
