A plurality of Americans—38%—now oppose direct financial aid to the Ukrainian government.
President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday—Presidents’ Day—to reaffirm his support for that embattled nation and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Entering secretly via neighboring Poland, where he has held further meetings, for several hours on Monday his visit blocked vehicular and pedestrian traffic in central Kyiv. Air raid sirens blared dramatically as Biden and Zelensky strolled past historic sites. They embraced at a wreath-laying ceremony before a photo mural of Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed in action. Biden capped his visit by pledging another $460 million in military aid to Ukraine—just the latest tranche of U.S. taxpayer beneficence since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.
Coming just four days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Biden in effect reversed what Zelensky heard during his seemingly unproductive visit to Washington in late December, when he was told that Western support for Ukraine is wearing thin and that he needs to negotiate meaningfully to avoid catastrophe as a renewed Russian offensive looms. Certain categories of weaponry, including U.S. F-16 fighter jets, have been denied to Zelensky, while deliveries of heavy tanks from NATO countries—once off the table—have proved slow and reluctant. But now, Biden has signaled in the Ukrainian capital that the U.S. will continue to offer what the president called its “unwavering support” for an apparently indefinite period. To highlight the point, Biden wore a striped tie featuring Ukraine’s national colors.
There is still no endgame, but that seems to be of no importance despite continuing hints that Russia may resort to nuclear weapons.
