Biden makes surprise visit to Kyiv
To show your support for Ukraine, you must make this pilgrimage. It has become a deadly litmus test.
Only this explains President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv today.
Why did Biden visit Kyiv?
Everyone is praising Ukrainian President Zelensky for his Churchillian bravery and leadership. No doubt Biden also wanted to bask in that reflected praise.
Recall that Biden visited neighboring Poland last March. Ukrainians criticized him back then for not crossing the border to meet Zelensky.
They were proselytizing a patent folly: Foreign leaders had to make pilgrimages to Ukraine to show their support. And that is no matter how much military and financial support they were otherwise providing.
Of course, Zelensky should’ve crossed that border to meet Biden. Any fair-minded person would’ve expected him to get off his ass to do so. He should’ve done so to thank Biden and then ask for more aid.
Sure enough, Zelensky made amends. He emulated Churchill when he traveled to Washington last December. There he met and thanked Biden and then asked for more aid.
‘The big boss is here’
Biden showed up bearing gifts. They will help him one-up other pilgrims. The $500m aid package shows that he’s still Zelensky’s most indispensable partner.
Mind you, Zelensky’s aides have been hailing Zelensky as the leader of the free world. So let’s see if this visit changes their ungrateful impudence in this respect.
It’s good that Zelensky visited Biden in Washington before Biden made this surprise visit to Zelensky in Kyiv. That’s proper political protocol.
Now if only Biden would stop his dithering over sending weapons, like long-range missiles and fighter jets, to Ukraine.