President Joe Biden will travel to Poland at the end of the week to meet with President Andrzej Duda.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced the trip would take place after the president meets with “NATO Allies, G7 Leaders, and European Union Leaders” in Brussels, Belgium.
Biden will travel to Warsaw on March 25.
“The President will discuss how the United States, alongside our Allies and partners, is responding to the humanitarian and human rights crisis that Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war on Ukraine has created,” Psaki said in her statement.
While in Brussels, Biden will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to NATO and “discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine,” Psaki said in an earlier statement.
“President Biden will also join a scheduled European Council Summit to discuss our shared concerns about Ukraine, including transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence, and address other challenges related to the conflict,” Psaki added on March 15.
Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary-General, announced he had convened the Summit on Twitter.
“We will address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence & defence,” Stoltenberg wrote. “At this critical time, North America & Europe must continue to stand together.”
As part of his trip, Biden will discuss the war with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“Poland has been one of the most vocal countries in asking fellow NATO members to consider getting more involved to rein in the bloodshed,” reports AP News.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, sparking an international outcry.
UPI reports that over 10 million Ukrainian citizens have been displaced since the start of the conflict.
The United Nations refugee agency reported on March 11 that more than 2.5 million Ukrainians have left for neighboring nations. The majority have relocated to Poland.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vice President Kamala Harris both traveled to Poland earlier this month.
Blinken visited eastern Poland, near the border of Ukraine, on March 5. He met with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau following a meeting with NATO.
While in Poland on March 10, Harris said the Biden administration would support investigating any alleged war crimes committed by Russia against Ukraine. She also announced the U.S. would supply $53 million in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine during a press conference with President Duda.
