In the early hours of Sunday morning, the president left the White House on a modified Boeing 757 called Air Force C-32 instead of Air Force One and arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine, 20 hours later.
The visit was kept secret from the Ukrainian public, and the president travelled in a black SUV instead of his usual presidential limousine.
Only a few people accompanied the president, including the National Security Advisor, deputy chief of staff, and director of Oval Office operations, who planned the trip secretly for months.
A small group organized the trip at the White House and across U.S. national security agencies.
Only two journalists were allowed to participate during the trip, and their electronic devices were turned over to the White House.
Despite the risks involved, such as the lack of U.S. military presence in Ukraine, the White House gave Moscow a heads-up about the trip to avoid any miscalculation that could bring the two nuclear-armed nations into direct conflict.
The sealing off of Kyiv roads, which are usually busy with traffic, brought an eerie calm to the center of the capital. The two leaders visited St. Michael’s Cathedral and laid wreaths to the wall of remembrance honouring Ukrainian soldiers killed in 2014.
As the first U.S. leader in modern history to visit a warzone outside the military’s control, the trip was a historical event.
Despite the White House’s efforts to keep the trip secret, word of the president’s presence leaked out before he could get back to Poland, which was the original plan.
The leak was surprising to the White House aides, who had worked hard to keep the visit under wraps. However, Russia had been informed about Biden’s trip beforehand, which explained why the president’s visit did not catch the Russian officials off guard.
During the trip, the US surveillance planes were monitoring Kyiv from Polish airspace, and the Ukrainian streets were cordoned off without any explanation.
The eerie calm that resulted was a stark contrast to the usual hustle and bustle of the capital city.
When the leaders walked to St. Michael’s Cathedral, armed soldiers stood guard outside, and the presidents disappeared inside. Biden seemed unfazed by the situation and even suggested to Zelenskyy that they take a look inside.
After entering the cathedral, the two leaders walked across the square to where rusting hulks of Russian tanks and other armoured vehicles were parked as grim reminders of the war.
Biden and Zelenskyy laid two wreaths to the wall of remembrance honouring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014.
Only after the visit did the first images of Biden in the capital circulate on Ukrainian social media, and the secret trip became global news.
The visit was a testament to the White House’s ability to keep the trip under wraps and the US government’s security, operational, and logistical efforts to make it happen.
