United States First Lady Jill Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine and met with her counterpart in the small European nation, celebrating Mother's Day with a show of solidarity amid Russia's continued invasion.
The wife of President Joe Biden traveled to Uzhhorod, Ukraine, which is a small city in the far southwestern corner of the country and has been under attack by Moscow for the last ten weeks. A school in the area was converted into temporary housing for displaced citizens and became the meeting place between Biden and Olena Zelenska.
Jill Biden Visits Ukraine
The wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not been seen in public since the beginning of the war between the two European countries on Feb. 24. In a statement, Biden said that she wanted to visit Ukraine on Mother's Day.
The two first ladies were seen seated at a small table in a classroom of the converted school, which now housed 48 children among other residents. The American first lady added that it was important to show the people of Ukraine that the war has to stop, noting that it has been a brutal war between two nations, as per CNN.
Biden spent roughly two hours in Ukraine and traveled by vehicle to meet her Ukrainian counterpart. She has now become the latest high-profile American to enter the country amid the invasion. During her trip, Biden also toured a border processing facility located at a Slovakian border village 10 minutes away from the school.
In response, Zelenska expressed her gratitude to Biden and noted her "courageous act," saying they understood how difficult it was for the U.S. first lady to come to another country involved in a war. The Ukrainian first lady added that the trip was made even more dangerous because military actions were taking place every day.
According to the Associated Press, before meeting each other, Zelenska arrived first at the meeting place and waited for Biden in her black SUV. When the two finally got to see each other, they shared an embrace, and Biden handed over a bouquet of flowers to Zelenska.
Russia-Ukraine War
Before Biden, the last trip was made by American officials, namely House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Furthermore, the American first lady's trip to Ukraine comes as dozens are feared to have been killed by Russian shelling.
The attacks struck a school located in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. It is one of the two regions that make up the Donbas, where Moscow's military forces concentrate their efforts. Fortunately, Ukrainian officials announced the successful evacuation of the last women, children, and elderly from the Azovstal steel plant.
The infrastructure was the last holdout of Ukrainians in the besieged port city of Mariupol, said the country's deputy prime minister. Zelensky also presented his country's famous mine sniffing dog named Patron and his owner with a medal to recognize their dedicated efforts to serve Ukraine since Russia's invasion, CNBC reported.
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