Topline
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said there are no plans to send President Joe Biden to Ukraine, following speculation a senior U.S. official may visit the European country after other trips by world leaders this week—and one day after Biden said that he was personally ready to go.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the White House Daily Press Briefing at the … [+]
Key Facts
Psaki told the hosts of the Pod Save America podcast in an episode released Friday that Biden is “ready for anything,” but the White House is not set to have Biden visit Ukraine.
Psaki pointed to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking an “eight-hour train through a war zone” to meet with Zelensky in a surprise trip to Kyiv last weekend, saying “that is not in the plans for the president of the U.S.”
She said America should be “relieved” Biden won’t be taking a similar trip, adding “You’re welcome, America,” and “We need him to do a lot of things.”
Psaki’s comments come a day after a reporter asked Biden if he was personally ready to travel to Kyiv, to which Biden replied: “Yeah.”
Biden also told reporters the White House was still working to make a decision whether to send a senior U.S. official to Ukraine.
Crucial Quote
“He’s ready for anything — the man likes fast cars and aviators,” Psaki said. “He’s ready to go to Ukraine — we are not sending the president to Ukraine.”
Key Background
Biden traveled to Poland last month and came about 60 miles from the border with Ukraine. During his trip, Biden said he was disappointed he couldn’t cross the border, likely due to security concerns, to see the humanitarian crisis “first hand.” Several world leaders like Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Kyiv last week to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and announce new military aid for the country.
Tangent
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) traveled to Ukraine on Thursday, making the pair the first known U.S. officials to visit the country since Russia’s invasion. Spartz, the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress, had already planned an unofficial visit to Ukraine, but joined Daines on a last-minute trip arranged by the Ukrainian government.
Further Reading
U.K.’s Johnson Makes Surprise Trip To Kyiv To Meet With Zelensky, Announces New Aid (Forbes)
Biden expresses ‘disappointment’ that ‘they will not let me’ visit Ukraine (The Week)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/04/15/psaki-we-are-not-sending-the-president-to-ukraine/