Jill Biden has made an unannounced visit to western Ukraine, where she held a surprise Mother’s Day meeting with the first lady Olena Zelenska to show U.S. support for the embattled nation.
Their meeting in a village school came as Russia presses its punishing war in the eastern regions.
Biden traveled under the cloak of secrecy, becoming the latest high-profile American to enter Ukraine during its 10-week-old conflict with Russia.
Biden said she thought "it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.”
Zelenska thanked Biden for her “courageous act.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made a surprise visit to Ukraine amid Russia’s war on the country.
Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne and Irpin Mayor Olexander Markushyn announced Trudeau’s visit to Irpin, which had been damaged by Russia’s attempt to take Kyiv at the start of the war.
Markushyn posted images of Trudeau on social media, saying that the Canadian leader was shocked by the damage he saw at civilian homes.
Trudeau is the latest Western leader to come to Ukraine to offer their support to the country.
His office later confirmed the visit, saying in a statement “the prime minister is in Ukraine to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm Canada’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people.”
