U.S. First Lady Jill Biden paid a visit to Uzhgorod
Jill Biden, the first lady, traveled to western Ukraine in an unannounced trip on Sunday, the latest show of support from the United States, which has significantly increased military aid for Ukraine in recent weeks.
Dr. Biden met Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, at a school in Uzhhorod, a town of 100,000 people a few miles from the border with Slovakia. The town’s population has doubled in recent weeks with the arrival of people fleeing fighting elsewhere in the country.
Ms. Zelenska, the wife of President Volodymyr Zelensky, has not been seen in public since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24. She and Dr. Biden embraced outside the school, which has been converted to a temporary shelter for fleeing families, and Dr. Biden gave her a bouquet.
In a small room afterward, the two women briefly addressed reporters, with Ms. Zelenska thanking Dr. Biden for her “courageous” visit.
“We understand what it takes for the U.S. first lady to come here during a war, where the military actions are taking place every day, where the air sirens are happening every day, even today,” she said.
Dr. Biden made her trip on a day of public displays of support for Ukraine, and as rescuers searched for survivors from a Russian airstrike on a school in the east that officials feared had left dozens dead.
