US President Joe Biden will hold talks with US troops stationed near Poland’s border with Ukraine on Friday and take stock of the situation. Together we will learn about the crisis of millions of Ukrainians who are on their way to Poland to escape Russia’s attack on their homeland. Biden plans to meet with members of the US military’s 82nd Airborne Division serving with Polish troops.
He arrived at the airport in Rzejo, the largest city in southeastern Poland, on Friday afternoon. He will be in Warsaw on Saturday for talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda and others. The Polish leader was supposed to receive Biden at the airport on Friday, but his plane was delayed due to a technical problem. The European Union said that about 3.5 million people from Ukraine have fled the country.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden would seek information from US troops and experts about the situation on the ground. In Brussels after meetings with other world leaders, Biden said Poland, Romania and Germany should not be left alone to deal with the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. “It’s an international responsibility,” he said after announcing an additional $1 billion in aid to help Ukrainian refugees.