Reports: Biden considering European trip amid Ukraine invasion

U.S. President Joe Biden steps off Marine one on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C, on Sunday, Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI
1 of 5 | U.S. President Joe Biden steps off Marine one on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C, on Sunday, Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo

March 14 (UPI) -- The White House is in the preliminary stages of planning a trip for President Joe Biden to Europe amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, multiple reports indicated Monday.

Early plans call for the trip to be made in the coming weeks to an unspecified European location with a focus on the war in Ukraine, NBC News initially reported.

White House sources said Brussels, headquarters to both NATO and the European Union, is being considered as a possible location for Biden's visit.

Plans for a European trip were later confirmed by CBS News and CNN, which reported a potential stop in Poland as well as other European locales are also being explored.

If Biden travels to Europe in the coming weeks, it would be most closely watched visit by a U.S. president since World War II and would come after similar high-profile trips by several top Biden administration figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who visited Poland and Romania last week.

Her three-day trip to Eastern Europe was meant to reinforce U.S. support for the region against Russian aggression.

"The United States continues to stand with the people of Ukraine and will continue to work to meet their immediate needs and save lives," Harris said in a tweet Friday.

"We'll do everything together in solidarity to support what is necessary for the humanitarian and security needs of the Ukrainian people. They have shown extraordinary courage and skill and their willingness and, yes, ability to fight against Putin's war and Russia's aggression."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also visited Eastern Europe earlier this month, including a stop in Poland during which the two NATO countries vowed to coordinate their political, economic, social and humanitarian responses to the Russian actions in Ukraine.

The two nations, he said, "will stand together, as we've been standing together, in support of Ukraine and against Russia's unprovoked, unwarranted, premeditated invasion."

Biden on Saturday ordered another $200 million in defense aid to Ukraine, including military equipment and training.

Word of his possible trip came as Russian attacks in Ukraine intensified on Monday despite a fourth round of talks between Kyiv and Moscow aimed at ending the fighting.

The talks concluded with little sign of progress as Russia continued to heavily bomb parts of Kyiv and 400,000 people remained trapped in the southern port city of Mariupol.

The negotiations were scheduled to resume Tuesday.

Scenes from the Russian war on Ukraine

European Union leaders attend a summit at the Chateau de Versailles near Paris on March 11, 2022. Photo by the European Union/ UPI | License Photo

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