Biden to visit Poland to discuss Ukraine crisis

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Joe Biden will travel to Poland Friday during his trip to Europe.
• Biden will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss the Ukraine crisis.
• The Poland visit will come after the NATO summit in Belgium on Thursday.

President Joseph Biden will meet President Andrzej Duda Poland on Friday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said late Sunday.

Biden will travel to Warsaw after the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday. He will meet with G7 Leaders, NATO Allies, and European Union leaders to coordinate their response to Russia and efforts to support Ukraine.

Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine, becomes a refuge for more than 2 million Ukrainians who fled their country. The refugees started fleeing to Poland since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24.

The POTUS will host a virtual call with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy on Monday. The leaders will discuss their coordinated responses to the Ukraine crisis, the White House said..

As of Thursday, an estimate of 3.2 million people has fled Ukraine since last month, according to data presented by the United Nations. This has become Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War. The U.N. added that some of the 2 million people who entered Poland from Ukraine have moved abroad to other parts of Europe but “the majority are believed to be still in Poland.”

Vice President Harris traveled to Poland and Romania more than a week ago to show the United States’ solidarity with Ukraine and neighboring allies. The VP met with Pres. Duda and several refugees from Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the U.S. rejected Poland’s request to transfer its MiG fighter jets into Ukraine, with the U.S. replacing its fleet. 

When Poland said it plans to propose a NATO peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, the Biden administration said American troops would not be involved.

“The president has been very clear that we will not put American troops on the ground in Ukraine. We don’t want to escalate this into a war with the United States,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a CNN interview.

Psaki said Sunday Biden will not visit Ukraine during his European trip this week.

Sourced: Reuters