US President Joe Biden has been praised for his leadership in uniting allies against Russia as it continues its unprovoked assault on Ukraine since February. However, the White House said this week that Biden would not be traveling to Ukraine.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters this week that Biden will not be visiting Ukraine. The response follows speculation that Biden is considering visiting Ukraine’s capital Kyiv following the surprise visit by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to assess the damages brought on by Russian forces.
This also follows other media outlets reporting that the Biden administration was considering sending high-level officials to Ukraine to hold dialogues with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while also taking a look at what was happening on the ground. It was speculated that either Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin may make the visit to Ukraine.
Johnson visited Kyiv last week in a show of support for Zelenskyy, who also asked for a “firm response” to the attack at the Kramatorsk rail station that killed dozens of civilians and injured over 100 people more. Prior to visiting Ukraine, Johnson said he spoke with Biden about the upcoming visit while reaffirming his support for Ukraine.
Biden has also drawn the ire of Russia by describing its attack on Ukraine as committing genocide and has previously accused Russian dictator Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes.
In other related news, in a book about the first lady Dr. Jill Biden, she recalled her husband’s health issue decades back when he represented Delaware in the Senate, which also made her feel like she was part of the Biden family. “Jill: A Biography of the First Lady,” written by Jill Pace and Darlene Superville of the Associated Press, wrote that in 1988, “Jill knew Joe had been ignoring his health for months.”
The then-Senator would be carrying a bottle of Tylenol, which he would sometimes take 10 a day because of constant headaches. Even as Biden was in pain, he would tell Dr. Biden that he only pulled a muscle and continued with his work until he collapsed in a hotel room on February 12.
When Biden was undergoing medical tests in Wilmington, the future first lady was told by a nurse not to approach the room her husband was in as a priest was there administering the last rites.
Dr. Biden, according to the book, told the priest to get out, refusing the notion that her husband was going to die.