President Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has made a surprise visit to Kyiv.

Biden is meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Ukraine commemorates the deaths of 107 people during anti-government protests nine years ago.

Biden's visit is symbolic as it is amidst a full-scale conflict in the capital.

This is president Biden's first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded it sends messaging to Russia that the West will continue supporting Ukraine.

Biden took off to Europe, to Poland to meet with President Andrzej Duda.

The US, early Monday, had said that China is considering aiding Russia with weaponry. China slammed the claim. 

Biden's mission with his visit to Kyiv and then Warsaw is to underscore that the United States is prepared to stick with Ukraine as long as it takes to repel Russian forces even as public opinion polling suggests that US and allied support for providing weaponry and direct economic assistance has started to soften.

For Zelenskyy, the symbolism of having the US president stand side by side with him on Ukrainian land as the anniversary nears is no small thing as he prods the US and European allies to provide more advanced weaponry and to step up the pace of delivery.

The visit also gives Biden an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the devastation the Russian invasion has caused on Ukraine.

Thousands of Ukrainian troops and civilians have been killed, millions of refugees have fled the war, and Ukraine has suffered tens of billions of dollars of infrastructure damage.