Biden's Surprise Ukraine Visit Upstages Putin; Russia's Military Experts Furious

U.S President Joe Biden surprised people when he visits Ukraine Monday. It sparked anger and embarrassment among many of military experts in Russia.

It also increased pressure on Vladimir Putin as the Russian President gears up for a national address, reported CNN.

Biden arrived in Kyiv just a day before Putin was due to make a major address. He is expected to set out Russia's aims for the second year of the invasion that he launched on Feb 24, 2022, according to Inquirer.net.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he and the US leader talked about long-range weapons. The White House also said thata Biden would announce more sanctions on Russia and provide military support for Ukraine.

A tweet on behalf of POTUS read that one year later, Kyiv, Ukraine and democracy stand, and that America and the world "stands with Ukraine."

Biden's visit came days before the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. His visit provided a symbolic boost to Ukraine at a crucial juncture in the conflict.

But the trip caused fury in Russian pro-military and ultranationalist circles. They are angry as it upstages Putin on the eve of a major address in which he is expected to tout the supposed achievements of what he calls a "special military operation."

Russian journalist Sergey Mardan wrote on his Telegram channel that Biden in Kyiv is a "demonstrative humiliation of Russia."

He added that tales of miraculous hyper sonics may be left for children, and that just like spells about the "holy war we are waging with the entire West."

A Telegram account that is managed by Russian army and naval service members, Zapiski michmana Ptichkina, noted ironically that Biden had reached Kyiv before Putin.

It said that almost a year after the beginning of the "Special military operation, we are waiting in the Russian city of Kyiv for the president of the Russian Federation," but not for the President of America.

Biden's visit was an unprecedented trip by an American leader into an active warzone where the U.S. did not have a huge military presence.

According to Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan, a few hours before the President left for Ukraine, the United States informed Russia of the plans to visit the Ukrainian capital for "deconfliction purposes."

Air raid sirens blared across Kyiv as Biden visited the Ukrainian capital. But there were no reports of Russian missiles or even air strikes.