US President Joe Biden is set to travel to Europe this week to meet European allies as they continue to tackle the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, Biden will be meeting with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.
The White House announced that Biden would travel to Poland Friday to discuss the international response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. This comes as the invasion has resulted in humanitarian and human rights crises for Ukraine. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the US leader would meet with Duda in Warsaw to hold a bilateral meeting.
Biden’s visit to Poland will follow his visit to Brussels as he meets with his counterparts in NATO, the G7 group of countries, and the European Union to talk about the efforts to assist Ukraine as it continues to resist Russian aggression.
Biden also hosted a call Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson to talk about the coordinated response to Russia.
The US leader will also attend a European Council summit to discuss Ukraine as well as “transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence, and address other challenges related to the conflict,” said the White House.
Psaki said Sunday that Biden was not planning to visit Ukraine this week during his trip to Europe.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has resulted in a growing refugee crisis in Europe, the largest since World War II. The United Nations said some of the two million Ukrainian refugees that entered Poland went to other European countries, but most are believed to have remained in Poland.
Biden has warned that Russia may launch cyberattacks that could target US businesses. The US leader warned businesses in remarks Monday to take added precautions in case such cyberattacks may happen to them, citing “evolving” intelligence reports.
“The magnitude of Russia’s cyber capacity is fairly consequential, and it’s coming. The federal government is doing its part to get ready,” said the US leader during the quarterly Business Roundtable meeting in Washington.