It was a historic visit by US President Joe Biden to Kiev, just 24 hours before the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

They debated for hours with the US president announcing full US support for Ukraine as well as a new $500m military aid package to be announced tomorrow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the US president’s visit was an “extremely important gesture of support for all Ukrainians”.

“I think it’s critical that there be no doubt, no doubt at all, about US support for Ukraine in the war. The Ukrainian people have stepped up in a way that few people have ever done before,” Biden said initially, while in a White House announcement, he said:

“As the world prepares for the one-year anniversary of Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelensky and reaffirm our steadfast and unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity .

When Putin launched his invasion nearly a year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outrun us. But he made a big mistake.

Today, in Kyiv, I will meet with President Zelensky and his team for a wide-ranging discussion about our support for Ukraine. I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-tank systems and air surveillance radars, to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardment.

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And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that seek to circumvent or enhance Russia’s war machine. Over the past year, the US has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic and humanitarian support – and that support will last.”