Biden news: President calls Ukraine ‘Tiananmen Square, squared’ as he’s blocked from visit to border
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President Joe Biden is visiting Poland, which is bearing the brunt of an exodus of Ukrainians fleeing the attack on their country.
Mr Biden’s first stop was the town of Rzeszów, less than 100km (62 miles) from the south-eastern border with Ukraine. He and President Andrzej Duda were briefed on the humanitarian relief response taking place and Mr Biden met with US service personnel stationed there.
In remarks, the president reiterated his belief that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and described brave resistance of the citizens of Ukraine as “Tiananmen Square, squared”. The president also said he was disappointed that he was unable to cross the border to see the situation for himself, implying that the security concerns were too great — there had been much speculation about such a visit.
Both presidents will meet formally in Warsaw on Saturday.
The visit comes after a marathon series of meetings on Thursday with Nato, G7 and EU leaders in Brussels. Mr Biden said the extraordinary summit was a testimony to the unity of the US and its allies in the face of Russian aggression in Europe.
A number of new sanctions were imposed on Russia as leaders met, and the president said he also wants Russia removed from the G2. He stressed that it is the organisation’s decision whether to do so, adding that an alternative would be for Ukraine to attend as an observer.
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A slight change of schedule
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports that there is a slight change to President Biden’s schedule following a delay in the travel plans of the President Duda of Poland, whose plane had to make an emergency landing.
Mr Biden will meet with members of the 82nd Airborne Division and then attend a humanitarian briefing before the Mr Duda arrives.
Polish president ‘did not face any danger’
The airplane carrying Polish President Andrzej Duda to meet US President Joe Biden in eastern Poland has made an emergency landing after returning to Warsaw, Duda’s advisor Jakub Kumoch was cited as saying by state-run news agency PAP on Friday.
The head of Duda’s office, Pawel Szrot, told Reuters that the Polish president did not face any danger.
Reuters
Yanis Varoufakis questions Biden’s Ukraine gameplan
Greek MP and former finance minister Yarnis Varoufakis, long a hero of sorts on the international left, has offered some limited praise for the western alliance’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine – but also raised concerns that Joe Biden lacks a clear strategy for the end of the conflict, accusing him of “jeopardising” the Ukrainian people by not “leaving any room for a compromise”.
Watch his remarks below:
When Duda met Trump
Bloomberg News White House correspondent Josh Wingrove recalls when President Duda visited Washington a few years ago during the Trump presidency.
Watch live as Biden visits troops from 82 Airborne ahead of briefing on Ukraine
Biden visits service members at barber shop
Per Ashley Parker of The Washington Post in the White House travel pool:
President Biden visited a barber shop at the G2A Arena right next to the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, where roughly 14 service members in the 82nd Airborne Division were sitting in folding chairs awaiting hair cuts. Three service men sat in chairs in the front of the room getting shorn by their fellow service men.
Biden came in and sat down in one of the folding chairs behind two of the servicemen, who turned around but did not seem especially surprised to see the president.Biden then went around the room and greeted everyone individually.“
You guys must have just gotten your haircut!” Biden said, observing their closely-shorn hair. He asked if they were getting cuts again and joked there would not be much to take off.
Biden then walked up to one of the barber chairs, where one of the service men suggested that maybe Biden should finish the haircut. Biden laughed and said that was the last thing the young man would want.
We are now awaiting Biden in a cafeteria, where six long tables of service members have finished a pizza lunch, and are also waiting for Biden.
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