Biden in solidarity visit to Kyiv

US President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Ukraine yesterday to meet with counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky - a striking gesture of solidarity that comes days before the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of the country.

Biden spent more than five hours in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, meeting Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace, honoring the country's fallen soldiers and meeting with US embassy staff in the war-torn country.

"One year later, Kyiv stands," Biden said. "And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you."

The visit comes at a crucial moment in the war as Biden looks to keep allies unified in their support for Ukraine as the war is expected to intensify for spring offensives.

Zelensky is pressing allies to speed up delivery of pledged weapon systems and is calling on the West to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine - something Biden has declined to do.

In Kyiv, Biden announced an additional half-billion dollars in US assistance - on top of the more than US$50 billion (HK$391 billion) already provided.

"Our negotiations were very fruitful," Zelensky said.

Biden also got a short firsthand taste of the terror that Ukrainians have lived with for close to a year as air raids sirens howled just as he and Zelensky were exiting the gold-domed St Michael's Cathedral.

They laid two wreaths and held a moment of silence at the Wall of Remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

Biden's mission with his visit to Kyiv, which comes ahead of a trip to Warsaw, Poland, is to underscore that the United States is prepared to stick with Ukraine "as long as it takes" to repel Russian forces.

This is even as public opinion polling suggests that US and allied support for providing weaponry and economic assistance has started to soften. For Zelensky, the symbolism of having the US president stand side by side with him on Ukrainian land is no small thing as he prods for the more advanced weaponry.

Biden's visit marked an act of defiance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had hoped his military would swiftly overrun Kyiv.

A year later, although a semblance of normalcy has returned to the city, regular air raid sirens, missiles and killer-drone attacks across the country are a near-constant reminder that the war is still raging, particularly around Bakhmut.

Biden warned that the "brutal and unjust war" is far from won.

He pledged long-term support for Ukraine, saying that "freedom is priceless."

He added: "And that's how long we're going to be with you, Mr President, for as long as it takes."

Zelensky responded: "We'll do it."