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The trip comes on the heels of visits by several top aides, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The White House is exploring a potential stop in Poland as well as elsewhere in Europe, according to a person familiar with the planning.
Russia expanded its offensive into western Ukraine on Sunday, firing missiles near the city of Lviv, hitting a large military base near the Polish border and reportedly killing dozens of people. Poland is a NATO ally, and the military base has conducted joint exercises with NATO and Western military personnel.
Harris visited Poland last week and sought to strengthen Western unity in the face of Russian aggression. The trip marked the second time in a month that Harris has been sent to Europe as the Biden administration seeks to rally international support behind its efforts to punish Russia for its war on Ukraine.
The vice president was tasked with settling the apparent dispute between the United States and Poland over the supply of combat aircraft to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was demanding more planes amid the invasion, and Poland surprised the United States with a proposal to supply the nation with its Soviet-era fighter jets. The Pentagon rejected Poland’s plan.
After meeting with the Polish president, Harris said at a press conference alongside the foreign leader that the two countries “are united in what we have done and are ready to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine.”
As fighting in Ukraine intensifies and the invasion enters its third week, civilians are caught in the crossfire. There were violent explosions in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and authorities reported that at least one person was killed and several people were injured after an apartment building in a Kyiv suburb was bombed on Monday.
More than 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees have been forced to flee in the past two weeks amid the Russian invasion, according to the United Nations.
The United States and its allies have issued a wide range of measures in recent weeks aimed at punishing Moscow for the invasion, including harsh new sanctions and export controls aimed at imposing heavy costs on the Russian economy.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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