U.S. alerted Russia to Biden's Ukraine visit for "deconfliction purposes," White House says
CBSN
Washington — The U.S. notified Russia of President Biden's secret visit to Ukraine hours before his departure in an attempt to avoid sparking conflict when he was in Kyiv, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday.
The White House said the nature of the trip to an active warzone was unprecedented, given the lack of a U.S. military presence in Ukraine and the small U.S. diplomatic footprint in the capital. Mr. Biden and a small group of top U.S. officials were on the ground in Kyiv for about six hours Monday to mark the upcoming one-year mark of Russia's war on Ukraine. It was the first time Mr. Biden visited since Russia's invasion.
Sullivan said the White House alerted the Russians to the visit to prevent any potential for miscalculation during the sensitive stopover.
