Russia invasion: US President Joe Biden arrives in Poland

Joe Biden has touched down in Poland to meet with US troops as speculation mounts that he may have top secret plans to visit the Ukraine border.

US President Joe Biden has touched down in Poland to visit American troops stationed there supporting NATO countries as Russia invades neighbouring Ukraine.

Mr Biden landed in the city of Rzeszow, southeastern Poland – around 80 kilometres from the border with Ukraine – before moving onto the capital Warsaw on Friday local time.

White House officials on Wednesday declined to say if Mr Biden would visit the Ukrainian border during the trip but indicated it was a possibility, citing security concerns for the lack of information. Reporters aboard Air Force One pointed out during the trip there’s a significant gap in Mr Biden’s schedule on Friday, The NY Post reports.

“Clearly we will give more guidance on what Friday will look like. But for security purposes, we just want to keep it more broad and not go into details,” White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan also sidestepped Mr Biden’s plans for Friday ahead of his meeting in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda the following day.

“Can you talk a little bit about Friday? There’s obviously a big gaping hole in the president’s schedule. Is he gonna go close to the border?” a reporter aboard Air Force One asked Mr Sullivan. Mr Sullivan coyly replied, “I’ll let Karine talk to you about Friday when the time is right.”

US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One as he leaves Brussels following a NATO/EU summit on the Ukraine crisis, on March 25, 2022. Picture: Nicolas Maeterlinck / BELGA / AFP.

On Friday, Mr Biden met with US soldiers deployed to the region and non-governmental organisations helping Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s brutal offensive.

He also lauded the bravery of Ukrainian civilians while speaking to the troops.

“Ukrainian people have a lot of backbone. They have a lot of guts,” Mr Biden said.

“Look at how they’re stepping up. … Women, young people standing in the middle of, in the front of a damn tank, just saying ‘I’m not leaving. I’m holding my ground.’ They’re incredible.”

This afternoon, I met with members of the 82nd Airborne Division on the ground in Poland. These folks are serving alongside our Polish Allies to bolster NATO’s frontline defenses. They’re doing incredible work and I’m grateful for their service. pic.twitter.com/mXu50UuRWI

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 25, 2022

Mr Biden said the world was currently seeing a fight between “democracy and oligarchs.”

“What you’re engaging in is much more than just whether or not you can alleviate people of Ukraine. We’re in a new phase. Your generation, we’re in an inflection point,” he continued.

He thanked the US troops, calling them the “finest fighting force in the history of the world.”

Visiting the region more than a month after Russia launched its assault, Mr Biden will travel on to Warsaw to meet Polish leaders and visit a reception centre for refugees.

He is due to wrap up the visit on Saturday with a major speech. Poland is an EU and NATO member that has taken in millions of Ukrainians, offered financial support to Ukraine and sent arms.

The White House’s Mr Sullivan said on Friday that there were around 10,500 US soldiers currently in Poland and reiterated Mr Biden’s promise to defend “every inch” of NATO territory.

Mr Biden‘s visit to Poland came after followed the announcement of a new set of measures with the EU designed to lessen Europe’s dependence on energy imports from Russia’s sanctions-hit economy.

His visit near the border came as a clearer scale of the ruin emerged from Ukraine’s besieged port city of Mariupol, which a month into the invasion resembles World War II scenes of Russian cities razed by the Nazis.

Authorities fear some 300 civilians may have died in a Russian air strike on a theatre-turned-bomb shelter in Mariupol last week, in what would be the invasion’s single bloodiest attack.