US First Lady Jill Biden paid a surprise visit to Ukraine on Sunday to demonstrate solidarity for the war-torn country in its struggle against Russia. Olena Zelenska, her Ukrainian counterpart, was also present.
Before meeting in private, the two first ladies met in a tiny classroom, sitting across a table from one another and greeting each other in front of the media. Zelenska and her children have been kept safe in an undisclosed location.
The school where they met has been turned into transitional housing for Ukrainian migrants from elsewhere in the country.
“Because we understand what it takes for the US First Lady to come here during a war when the military actions are taking place every day, where the air sirens are happening every day, even today,” Olena Zelenska told Jill Biden.
“I wanted to come on Mother’s Day. I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine,” she said while talking to reporters.
According to UN estimates, at least 1,964 people have been killed and 2,613 injured in Ukraine since the conflict began on February 24, with the true figure expected to be far higher.
