Biden says he’s deciding on whether to send a senior administration official to Ukraine
CNN
By Kevin Liptak, CNN
President Joe Biden said Thursday he was still working with his team to determine whether he should dispatch a senior member of his administration to Ukraine, a potentially dramatic show of support for the nation as it comes under attack from Russia.
“We’re making that decision now,” Biden said when asked whether he would send a senior official to Ukraine. Asked who he would send, Biden turned back to a reporter and said, “You ready to go?”
Since Russian forces withdrew from the region surrounding Kyiv, a number of Western leaders have made their way to the Ukrainian capital to demonstrate support.
US officials have held preliminary discussions about sending a high-ranking member of the administration to Ukraine, according to a source familiar with the talks.
While Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are unlikely to visit Kyiv themselves anytime soon, officials have discussed sending Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin or Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Still, sources said a decision is far from finalized and the visit could ultimately not materialize.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv last weekend. US officials said afterward that Biden was not currently planning a trip of his own.
“We’re not currently planning a trip by the President of the United States to Ukraine,” press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday. She said more important that a presidential visit was a continued supply of weapons and support.
“What is most important to the Ukrainian leadership is that we are expediting weapons and getting them the assistance and security systems they need and that is what our focus is on,” she said.
In a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, Biden informed his counterpart of a new $800 million security assistance package, including 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 300 Switchblade drones, 18 Howitzers and protective equipment to guard against chemical attacks.
During a last-minute visit to Poland last month, Biden told aid workers he would have liked to visit Ukraine to see the situation at close range.
“They will not let me, understandably, I guess, cross the border and take a look at what’s going on in Ukraine,” Biden said. The White House had said before the trip they had not explored any visit to Ukraine.
Speaking Thursday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden “would love the opportunity to go to Ukraine to show solidarity with the Ukrainians,” and that the possibility was discussed before Biden’s trip to Warsaw last month.
The discussions included what kind of footprint it would require to ensure the President’s safety, Sullivan said. But it was “not under any serious planning,” he added, and he declined to comment further on reports that a senior US official might visit Kyiv in the near future.
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CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Natasha Bertrand and Betsy Klein contributed to this report
