On February 20, 2023, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, visited Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It was his first visit since the 2022 Russian invasion started. Mostly because of security concerns, he did not tell the public before his arrival. Only two journalists went with him.
This was the first time in modern history that a current U.S. President has traveled to an active war zone not controlled by the American military. It was the closest a president had come to a combat zone since Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War.
The Pentagon and the Secret Service did not want Biden to visit Kyiv. Some people thought he might meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy near the Polish border or in Lviv, Western Ukraine. The visit came when US poll numbers began to drop about supporting Ukraine in the war.
During his visit, Biden announced more military aid for Ukraine, worth US$500 million and including ammunition for a rocket launcher system.
Reactions to the visit were mixed, with some Republicans criticizing it and many Democrats supporting it. Many Russian politicians and military experts, such as former President Dmitry Medvedev, criticized Biden. Polish President Andrzej Duda said the trip was important for the Ukrainian soldiers.