Biden travels to Poland to support the reception of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of a key NATO country

By Shannon Pettypiece -

WARSAW, Poland — President Joe Biden is traveling to southeastern Poland this Friday, where he is scheduled to meet with U.S. troops and aid workers helping refugees in a country on the front lines of the ongoing humanitarian and military crisis. takes place in Ukraine. 

Biden is scheduled to visit Rzeszow to thank the thousands of US soldiers who began arriving at a military base last month.

The base in Poland is less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where Russian missiles hit a Ukrainian military outpost this month.

Before returning to Washington on Saturday, Biden will try to meet with some of the refugees.

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"I've been in refugee camps, I've been in war zones for the last 15 years, and it's devastating," Trump told a news conference Thursday.

He said that meeting with the refugees in Poland "will reinforce my commitment to the United States to make sure that we are an important player in addressing the relocation of all these people."

Ukraine destroys a Russian landing ship in the port of the occupied city of Berdyansk

March 25, 202200:39

Poland has borne the brunt of the refugee crisis, with more than two million Ukrainians flooding into the country.

Although Poland has welcomed the refugees with open arms, offering them the possibility of work, health care and schooling for children, the massive influx in just one month has begun to put a strain on cities like Warsaw, where it is estimated that the population has increased by 300,000 people. 

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“Poland is one of the countries that feels most threatened by this ongoing invasion.

Bombs have exploded not far from their border,” recalled Barry Pavel, who was a defense policy adviser in the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

"This is a very, very important site," he said.

Biden visits Poland after a series of meetings with world leaders Thursday in Brussels, Belgium, where he tried to rally other countries to do more to support Ukraine and punish Russia. 

Before leaving Belgium, Biden pointed out how Putin has used Russia's energy resources to "coerce" his neighbors and announced measures - together with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen - to reduce Europe's dependence on energy. Russian.

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at the Melsbroek military airport in Brussels, Friday, March 25, 2022. Markus Schreiber / AP

“I know that removing Russian gas will have costs for Europe.

But it's not only the right thing to do from a moral point of view, it's going to put us in a much stronger strategic position,” he noted before heading to Poland.

While there, Biden will also meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda to "discuss how the United States, along with our allies and partners, is responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis that Russia's unjustified and unprovoked war against Ukraine has caused." created".

The White House announced it would allow up to 100,000 Ukrainians into the United States, targeting the most vulnerable.

The Administration also plans to commit more than $1 billion to humanitarian aid and $11 billion over the next five years to address food security threats around the world following disruptions to the Russian and Ukrainian agricultural industries. . 

[USA.

announces plans to receive 100,000 refugees from Ukraine and new sanctions against Russia]

The United States has provided $123 million to help countries bordering Ukraine cope with the crisis, including $48 million to Poland, and U.S. officials are working to establish programs to provide refugees with temporary food, shelter and care assistance. along with legal help and mental health support, the White House said.

The White House on Thursday announced a package of new sanctions against Russia that would apply to more than 400 Russians and Russian entities, including the Duma and more than 300 of its members and more than 40 defense companies. 

He also said he would take additional steps to prevent Russia from trying to prop up its economy, such as making it clear that any gold-related transactions from Russian banks are prohibited, and asking companies to stop doing business with Russia on a regular basis. .