The White House announced Tuesday that President Joe Biden will travel to Europe next week to meet with European leaders about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At the NATO summit in Brussels, Biden will meet with European leaders. Efforts to impose sanctions and further humanitarian efforts are underway and he will attend a European Council summit.
While he is there, his goal is to meet in person with his European counterparts and discuss the situation in Ukraine. It doesn't happen by accident. The president believes in face-to-face diplomacy. It's an opportunity to do that.
The White House announced the president's travel shortly before Biden signed a bill providing $13.6 billion in additional military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Biden said at the bill signing ceremony that the U.S. was moving to further bolster the support of the brave people of Ukraine.
The trip follows the visit to eastern flank NATO countries of Poland and Romania by the Vice President to discuss with leaders the growing refugee crisis in eastern Europe caused by the Russian invasion.
When Biden comes to Europe, it is very probable that he will visit Poland, according to Poland's foreign minister. According to the United Nations, more than one million Ukrainians have fled to Poland since the start of the war. More than 3 million people have left the country.
It would be hard to imagine a better place for the United States and the entire alliance to stress their position than Poland.
She didn't know if Biden would visit Poland during the trip.
On the same day that leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia set out for Kyiv by train despite the security risks, the White House announced that Vice President Biden would be in Brussels. EU officials said that the visit was not approved by other members of the bloc.
Daniel Hamilton, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for European affairs, said that Biden's trip to Europe comes as the White House looks to maintain a largely unified western opposition to Russia.
As the war continues, it is important that the president show he is not sitting comfortably across the Atlantic, but that he is part of the coalition meeting with European colleagues in Europe.
It was.
Associated Press writers were involved in the reporting.
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