by Jarrett Renshaw
RZESZOW, Poland (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to Rzeszow in southeastern Poland, about 100 km from the border with Ukraine, on Friday to take stock of the international efforts in favor of Ukrainian refugees and meet American soldiers positioned on NATO’s eastern flank.
The program of his visit was changed after the plane carrying Polish President Andrzej Duda to go to Rzeszow had to make an emergency landing after returning to Warsaw, without being in danger at any time.
Joe Biden therefore began his visit by sharing a meal with American soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army deployed in the Rzeszow airport area as part of the protection of NATO’s eastern flank.
“You are at the heart of a fight between democracies and oligarchs,” said the American president, referring to the sanctions imposed on Russian businessmen close to Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“What is at stake are the freedoms of your children and your grandchildren,” he said.
Joe Biden then attended a presentation at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport of the humanitarian response deployed to help refugees who fled the fighting in Ukraine but also civilians who remained there and faced with Russian bombing.
“I came here to Poland to see the humanitarian crisis with my own eyes,” he said before meeting with NGO officials and US and Polish officials.
“Quite frankly, part of my disappointment is that I can’t get a ringside seat, like I’ve done elsewhere. They won’t let me, understandably I guess, cross the border and go throw a look at what is happening in Ukraine.”
“TIGHTEN THE VICE OF SANCTIONS”
Joe Biden was expected in the evening in Warsaw, where he was to meet with President Andrzej Duda before delivering what the White House described as an “important speech” on Saturday.
Poland, which would like to see even more American troops deployed on its soil, hopes that this visit will be an opportunity for the President of the United States to recall his determination to defend “every square centimeter of NATO territory”, as he had assured it in the wake of the launch of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24th.
Speaking with the press aboard Air Force One during the flight to Poland, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated that the United States and NATO stand ready to deal with any eventuality.
Asked about the risk of seeing Russia bomb convoys carrying material intended for Ukraine crossing NATO member countries, he replied that contingency plans were prepared to deal with “the eventuality that Russia decides to strike NATO territory, in this context or in any other context”.
“And the president has been as clear as possible about his absolute determination to respond firmly, together with the other members of our alliance, if ever Russia were to attack NATO,” he recalled.
Jake Sullivan also raised the possibility of the United States and its allies taking additional sanctions against Russia.
“Obviously, there are still other additional measures to tighten the noose of the sanctions and we will continue to review them constantly,” he said.
(Reporting Jarrett Renshaw, Alan Charlish and Steve Holland, with contributions from Doina Chiacu; French version Myriam Rivet and Tangi Salaün, editing by Bertrand Boucey)