Biden travels to Poland as the country struggles with Ukrainian refugee influx
President Biden will meet with Ukrainian refugees, and he’ll deliver a “major address” while he’s in Warsaw, Poland, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Friday on Air Force One.
The president is in Rzeszów, Poland, not far from the Ukrainian border, and he travels to Warsaw Friday to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Saturday.
Sullivan said Mr. Biden’s address Saturday “will speak to the stakes of this moment, the urgency of the challenge that lies ahead, what the conflict in Ukraine means for the world, and why it is so important that the free world sustain unity and resolve in the face of Russian aggression.”
One of the president’s top reasons for traveling to Poland was to offer a personal thanks for welcoming the massive influx of refugees. Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure have sent more than 3.5 million refugees fleeing into neighboring nations, and the vast majority of Russian aggression.”
One of the president’s top reasons for traveling to Poland was to offer a personal thanks for welcoming the massive influx of refugees. Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure have sent more than 3.5 million refugees fleeing into neighboring nations, and the vast majority of them have gone to Poland, since Russia’s assault on Ukraine began.
The Biden administration announced Thursday that the U.S. will accept up to 100,000 displaced Ukrainians, while continuing to emphasize that the U.S. government believes most Ukrainians will want to remain in Europe, close to home.
On Thursday, Mr. Biden also announced an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine. NATO allies agreed on an initiative to enforce sanctions on Russia, to make sure oligarchs and entities don’t exploit loopholes. And NATO will beef up its Eastern Flank by deploying four more battlegroups. And earlier Friday, the U.S. and European Union announced a new task force aimed entirely at reducing Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels by boosting U.S. and other partners’ efforts to supply Europe with more liquefied natural gas.
Over the course of his European trip, Mr. Biden has been touting NATO’s unity during the conflict in Ukraine —and emphasizing the need to maintain a united front against Russia. “Putin was banking on NATO being split,” Mr. Biden said in the whirlwind press conference. “NATO has never, never been more united than it is today.”
Mr. Biden met with U.S. 82nd Airborne troops in Poland Friday.
