Biden to Visit Polish Town Near Ukraine Border

By Staff, Agencies

US President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Friday, landing in the town of Rzeszow just 50 miles from the Ukrainian border, the White House said.

Polish President Anrzej Duda is scheduled to greet him, according to a White House statement detailing Biden’s trip.

During his visit, Biden will be briefed on the humanitarian response to the refugee crisis, with millions of Ukrainians leaving their home to neighboring countries, including Poland.

He will also meet with members of the US Army’s 82^nd Airborne Division, who are stationed in Rzeszow.

Biden left for Brussels on an emergency trip Wednesday, meeting with NATO leaders to discuss further action in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Before his trip Friday, Biden is also scheduled to meet the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the US Mission in Brussels.

The town was also the site of a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Poland in early March to reassure Poland.

A former Soviet bloc country during the Cold War, Poland is worried about re-entering Moscow’s influence if Russia’s “war of choice,” as US officials have dubbed the war in Ukraine, grows into a larger conflict.

Western allies have increased heavy sanctions against Russia, while also giving military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.