The visit of Joe Biden (80) coincides with the announcement of a new massive offensive by the Russians. The trip to Kiev was therefore kept top secret and security measures were greatly increased. Many streets were closed in Kiev.
Just a few days ago, his media spokesman had denied visiting Ukraine. Biden was even seen in a restaurant in Washington on Saturday night with his wife Jill (71).
Biden left for Poland at 4:15 a.m. EST Sunday morning under cover of darkness from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, with a refueling stop at the US Air Force Base in Ramstein, Germany. He did not use the usual plane of American presidents – the converted Boeing 747 known as Air Force One – but a smaller and therefore less striking machine: a Boeing C-32.
The transponder was switched off so that the flight could only be tracked poorly. The presidential plane was accompanied by a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, which was carrying technical equipment for Biden’s visit.
For security reasons, only a small team accompanied the president. It consisted of his close associates, a medical team and security agents. There were also two journalists on board. They were sworn to absolute secrecy.
Sabrina Siddiqui was a journalist who accompanied Biden on the journey to the war zone. She was briefed on Friday by the White House communications director.
She found out details about the departure in a later email. The subject of the email: “Travel information for the golf tournament”.
When the journalists left, their mobile phones were taken away. The guards kept the devices with them until they arrived at the US embassy in Kiev.
Biden arrived in Kyiv at 8 a.m. local time (7 a.m. Swiss time) on Monday. The night before he landed in the Polish town of Rzeszow, from where the car continued to the train station in Przemysl, which is close to the border. Siddiqui reports an hour’s drive. The presidential motorcade numbered at least 20 vehicles. There is no blue light to drive to attract as little attention as possible.
Biden reached the train station at 9:15 p.m. local time. The motorcade headed straight for a purple train. Siddiqui reports that a huge contingent of guards are traveling on the eight-car train.
Biden is an avid train driver: For 36 years as a member of parliament and even as vice president himself, he commuted by train from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington. One route takes 90 minutes.
According to the reporter who traveled with him, Biden crossed the border into Ukraine at 10 p.m. The journey took about ten hours. There were a handful of stopovers, Siddiqui writes: “It was not always clear what the reason for the stopovers was.” At least once other security guards boarded.
The Kremlin knew about Biden’s visit – but only shortly before his arrival. The White House said Russia was given a few hours’ notice of the travel plans to avoid an unwanted escalation. The Kremlin later confirmed that it had been informed in advance.
Upon arrival in Kiev, Biden was received by US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink. “It’s good to be back in Kiev,” Biden is said to have said first after getting out. This was followed by a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (45) in the Marienpalast.
At 1:10 p.m. local time, Biden boarded the same train to travel back to Poland. In the Polish capital Warsaw, Biden plans, among other things, a meeting with President Andrzej Duda (50) and a speech at the Royal Castle of Warsaw on the first anniversary of the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
The White House stressed that Biden’s journey to an active war zone — despite long and painstaking preparation — was unusual given the security risks. Visits by former US presidents to Afghanistan or Iraq, for example, that were kept secret until the very end were easier because the US military was there for protection and logistics – unlike Ukraine.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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