Although "surprise" was the word many Western media outlets used to describe US President Joe Biden's whirlwind visit to Kyiv on Monday, there were plenty of indications beforehand that the trip was on the cards.
Asked on Friday if Biden might make other stops while visiting Poland to mark the first anniversary of the Ukraine conflict, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby replied "Right now, the trip is going to be in Warsaw." As the Associated Press reported it, moments later, and without prompting, Kirby added, "I said 'right now'".
The remarkably small entourage of Biden, which unusually traveled by train rather than plane, and the heavy security measures, on and off sites — during the more than 20 hours Biden was in Ukraine, US surveillance planes, including E-3 Sentry airborne radar and an electronic RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, were keeping a close watch over his whereabouts from Polish airspace — highlight the tremendous efforts that were made to ensure the president could stand at the center of the stage in Kyiv and come back safe and sound.
And Biden was keen to make the most of his sirens and explosion sound-tracked set piece, saying "One year later, Kyiv stands … Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you." That was not only a message to Russia and a rallying call to the US' allies to continue to follow its lead, but also a high-profile deposit for the US president's personal political account at home.
Meanwhile, the additional $500 million in assistance Biden announced during the trip — on top of the more than $50 billion already provided — clearly indicates that although Biden only stayed in Kyiv for about five hours, his administration is intent on protracting the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.
More worrisome still, Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart, as the latter told the media, have talked about "long-range weapons and the weapons that may still be supplied to Ukraine even though they weren't supplied before" — ostensibly so that Ukraine can strike Russian targets that have been moved back from frontline areas — a dangerous sign that the conflict will escalate and expand.
That means that the wreaths and condolences Biden offered at the Wall of Remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed in the fighting are unlikely to be the last offered by him, or future US leader. The US has been doing all it can, except sacrificing US lives, to consolidate its grip on Europe and weaken Russia at the cost of Ukrainian lives wearing US-conferred posthumous democracy fighter medals.
With that said, Biden's "surprise" visit to Kyiv clearly exposes what truly stands between Europe and peace — the US' readiness to stand on the bones of others to uphold its hegemony.