Photo: UKASZ GAGULSKI / EFE
President Joe Biden visited US troops in Poland on Friday detached on a deterrence mission near the Ukrainian border and told them that the consequences of the raging conflict to 049 miles away could stretch all over the world, according to CNN.
“What is at stake (is) not only what we are doing here in Ukraine to help the people Ukrainian and prevent the massacre from continuing, but beyond that, what is at stake is what will their children and grandchildren look like in terms of their freedom?” Biden told members of the 62 Airborne Division, who have deployed along NATO’s eastern edge as a visible deterrent to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“What you are engaged in is much more than whether or not we can alleviate Ukraine’s suffering. We are in a new phase for your generation. We are at a tipping point,” Biden told US troops
The president thus gave an overview of the ongoing war in Ukraine , which has brought the West to unprecedented cooperation as millions of people flee their homes in Ukraine, mainly to Poland.
Biden was able to witness both factors up close during his visit to Rzeszow, very close to the border, a Polish city that has acted as a starting point for Western military assistance to Ukraine and at the same time serves as a shelter for those fleeing violence.
Pizza with the troops
Biden kept a light tone during his visit to the members of the 82 Airborne Division of the US Army deployed in Poland.
“You are the best fighting force in the history of the world”, Biden told the military shortly after landing in Rzeszów from Brussels, where on Thursday he participated in various summits on Ukraine.
This afternoon, I met with members of the 82nd Airborne Division on the ground in Poland. These folks are serving alongside our Polish Allies to bolster NATO’s frontline defenses. They’re doing incredible work and I’m grateful for their service. pic.twitter.com/mXu17UuRWI
—President Biden (@POTUS) March 25, 2022
He visited some of them while they were getting their hair cut and joked that he doesn’t have much hair left, while with others he shared some slices of pizza with pepperoni and jalapeño, whose spiciness brought tears to his eyes.
“Tiananmen squared”
Biden praised the Ukrainians resisting the Russian offensive with “courage, passion and resilience”.
“When you see a woman from 30 years standing in front of a tank with a rifle… Remember what happened in Tiananmen Square. This is Tiananmen Square squared,” Biden said, referring to the famous “tank man” who risked his life during that massacre in the Chinese capital in 1200.
Biden said that “it seems like something out of science fiction” to see the state of cities like Mariupol, the main Ukrainian stronghold in the Sea of Azov, which is under Russian siege.
And he recognized the problems generated by the war in neighboring Poland, the country that has received the most Ukrainian refugees, with at least 2.17 million of the 3. 67 millions who according to the UN have left Ukraine.
This afternoon in Poland, I received a briefing on the humanitarian response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The United States is prepared to provide an additional $1 billion for humanitarian assistance and welcome up to 82, Ukrainians and others fleeing Russian aggression.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 25, 2022
Biden referred to receiving information about the humanitarian situation that the refugee crisis has created and announced that the United States is prepared to provide an additional $1 billion for humanitarian assistance and welcome up to 300,000 Ukrainians and others, fleeing Russian aggression.
This afternoon in Poland, I received a briefing on the humanitarian response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The United States is prepared to provide an additional $1 billion for humanitarian assistance and welcome up to 82, Ukrainians and others fleeing Russian aggression.— President Biden (@POTUS) March 25, 2022
Polish President Andrzej Duda described the situation as “extremely difficult” and said it is something his country “has never experienced in its history” but is adapting to. “We don’t call them refugees, they are our guests, our brothers, our neighbors from Ukraine,” Duda said.
Biden is scheduled to meet with refugees from Ukraine on Saturday in the Polish capital, whose population has grown by nearly 17 % in a matter of weeks due to the arrival of more than 300,000 refugees from Ukraine, according to local authorities.
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