US President in Kiev: What Biden wanted to prove

With his trip to a war zone, US President Biden took a big risk, says Katrin Brand. Apparently he wanted to show leadership and solidarity with Ukraine in Kiev. But Biden also knows that it won’t get any easier – for everyone.

Perfect surprise, clean timing, beautiful pictures: Team Biden had every reason to pat themselves on the back at the end of a very, very long day.

On Saturday evening, the President had a nice meal with his wife in Washington, which is always a very public affair because the armored limousines are hard to miss. And then, very early on Sunday morning, he set off in the direction of Kiev, quite unnoticed. And if the residents there hadn’t reported a suspicious number of blocked roads, his mission might have remained undiscovered until his departure.

A significant risk

The risk of letting an American president drive into a war zone that is not secured by American troops is huge. It is not yet known what logistical effort and what feints were required to bring Joe Biden safely to Kiev and back. Only this much is known: that the Russian war party was informed.

But the US President took the risk, apparently because he wanted to prove something. That he is not a procrastinating old man, as his critics claim, but the leader of the western world. And that he really and truly and literally stands with Ukraine. When the sirens wailed while walking under the blue sky, he actually got a sense of the city’s attitude towards life.

It doesn’t get any easier

Unfortunately it doesn’t get any better. Biden’s beautiful images – the statesman next to the wartime president – cannot hide the fact that the coming year will be dramatically difficult. Yes, a year after the start of the war, Kiev, Ukraine and Western aid are still standing. But how long? And what’s next?

In the USA, the willingness to continue to support Ukraine as before is falling. The money is needed at home, and besides, this war is a European matter, say a few but very vocal Republicans. When will this war end, why hasn’t it been negotiated for a long time, is not only asked in the USA.

How will Putin react?

Today, Biden can expect a sharp response to his daring trip to Ukraine when Russian President Putin delivers his State of the Union address. Moscow sees Biden’s trip as a provocative photostop.

Will Putin rely on help from China to win the war quickly? Or does he want to go to war until 2024 – until a new, old US President Trump simply cedes Ukraine to him?

How Biden is measured

There are so many uncertainties, so many scenarios. And none of this gives hope for a quick peace in Ukraine.

Biden wanted so badly to become US President in order to make his country what he believes to be a fairer society. Now his success as President will be measured by his ability to bring an insoluble war in Europe to an end.