There are no plans for US President Joe Biden to visit the Ukrainian capital, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing on Monday.
“There’s no plans for the president to go. Let me just reiterate that,” Psaki told reporters.
The White House has said it wants to send a high-ranking official instead, perhaps Secretary of State Antony Blinken or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
In an interview with CNN which aired on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he thought Biden would travel to Kyiv.
“It’s his decision, of course, and about the safety situation, it depends,” Zelensky said. “But I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he should come here to see.”
Psaki also said that the US hoped to re-open the US embassy in Kyiv, though she did not provide a timeline.
“That certainly is our objective,” she said. “Obviously having a diplomatic presence on the ground is important.”
