First Lady Makes Surprise Trip to Ukraine

First Lady Jill Biden made a surprise trip to western Ukraine as a show of American support for the Ukrainian people.

First Lady Jill Biden made a surprise Mother’s Day trip to western Ukraine as a show of American support for the Ukrainian people.

The First Lady met with Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, in the western Ukraine town of Uzhhorod near the Slovakian border. Zelenska had not been seen in public since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
During her visit, Mrs. Biden said, “I wanted to come on Mother’s Day. I 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.”
On the same day as the First Lady’s visit, Russia bombed an eastern Ukraine village school. At least sixty people were feared killed in the bombing.
The United States and other G7 nations announced a new round of sanctions before Russia’s high-profile Victory Day celebrations on May 9. The US is sanctioning three Russian TV stations and the G7 leaders committed to phasing out Russian oil imports.
The Biden administration is sending more military aid to Ukraine amid fears Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will use the May 9 Victory Day celebrations to escalate the conflict further.

The Washington Post noted Mrs. Biden’s visit came as part of a four-day tour of Eastern Europe, which the newspaper called her “highest-profile diplomatic engagement since President Biden took office.”
The New York Times reported Ukrainian officials covertly invited Biden several days before her surprise visit. The First Lady’s trip to Ukraine was the first solo trip to a warzone by a first lady since Laura Bush visited Afghanistan in 2008.
CNN explained the significance of May 9 – Victory in Europe Day – and the importance of a formal declaration of war on Ukraine for Putin’s ability to escalate the conflict further.

The Wall Street Journal covered the ongoing siege of Mariupol as Russia prepares to celebrate Victory Day.
The Washington Examiner reported the US Ambassador to Ukraine returned to Kyiv on Sunday to prepare to reopen the US embassy in Ukraine’s capital.
Per Fox News, Bono and The Edge performed a surprise concert in a Kyiv metro station on Sunday to show support for the Ukrainian military.

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