President Joe Biden and his aides are deliberating whether he should send a senior administration official or delegation to Ukraine as a show of support amid the Russian invasion.
“We’re making that decision now,” Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews Thursday before boarding Air Force One for North Carolina.
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A reporter followed up, asking whether Biden himself was “ready to go.” “Yeah,” Biden replied.
Reporter: “Will you send senior officials to Ukraine?”
Biden: “We’re making that decision now.”
Reporter: “Who would you send?”
Biden: “Are you ready to go?”
Reporter: “Are you?”
Biden: “Yeah.” pic.twitter.com/JZovnGXZ58— The Recount (@therecount) April 14, 2022
The United States has been without an ambassador to Ukraine for more than two years.
Biden is now reportedly considering dispatching Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ukraine after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s high-profile visit to Kyiv last weekend. Earlier this week, the presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland were also in the capital for in-person meetings with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan declined to comment on a hypothetical trip Thursday morning during an Economic Club of Washington, D.C., event.
“Kyiv stands. We want to get Americans back there,” he said.
The Department of State closed its embassy in Kyiv on Feb. 28, days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters earlier this week that reestablishing a diplomatic presence there is “our objective over the course of time” after Moscow’s withdrawal to redeploy personnel and equipment to the eastern Donbas region.
“But we’re going to have to assess when it’s the right time to do exactly that,” she said.
Biden spoke with Zelensky for almost an hour this week. After the phone call, he announced he was sending an additional $800 million in weapons, ammunition, and other security assistance to Ukraine, including Mi-17 helicopters.
“The steady supply of weapons the United States and its allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion,” he said. “It has helped ensure that Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now. As I assured President Zelensky, the American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.”
Biden has previously expressed disappointment he cannot travel to Ukraine himself, citing security concerns.
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“They will not let me, understandably, I guess, cross the border and take a look at what’s going on in Ukraine,” he said in Poland last month.
