Pool Reports by Sabrina Siddiqui, The Wall Street Journal
| Sent: | Reports: |
| February 20, 2023 12:01 EET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #1: POTUS in Ukraine, meets with Zelensky in Kyiv President Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, where he met with President Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. First, the news: In joint remarks with Zelensky at the palace, Biden announced a half a billion dollars of additional assistance to Ukraine and said more details would be released in the coming days. Biden said the package will also include more military equipment, including artillery ammunition, more javelins and Howitzers, but he did not appear to name any new types of equipment that Ukraine has not received before. Biden also said additional sanctions will be announced this week Zelensky said he and Biden spoke about "long range weapons and the weapons that may still be supplied to Ukraine even though it wasn't supplied before." But he did not detail any new commitments. Biden's remarks focused on the resilience of the Ukrainian resistance as the war enters its second year, noting how the international community initially feared Kyiv would fall in the face of Russia's Feb. 24 invasion. "One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands," Biden said. Due to security concerns, pool has agreed not to share real-time updates on the president's movements. Full details of how he got here and methods of transportation are also being held until the president is safely out of the country. Your travel pool consists of myself and Evan Vucci of the Associated Press. We were joined by a local pool on the ground in Kyiv. MORE DETAILS TO COME ASAP BUT EMBARGO WAS BROKEN EARLY SO HERE IS WHAT WE HAVE SO FAR: Arrival in Kyiv Biden arrived in Kyiv at 8 a.m. local time, donning a blue suit with a blue and yellow striped tie. "It's good to be back in Kyiv," Biden declared as he was greeted upon arrival by Ambassador Bridget Brink. The presidential motorcade arrived at Mariinsky Palace just after 8:30 a.m. local time, where he was greeted at the entrance outside by Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska. Zelensky was dressed in his signature black sweatshirt with dark green pants and beige boots. "Thank you for coming," Zelensky said as he shook Biden's hand. "More importantly, how are the children?" Biden asked, while adding: "It's amazing to see you." Ms. Zelenska asked how the First Lady was doing, to which Biden responded: "She's doing well. She's still teaching." Your pooler asked Biden about the significance of him being in Kyiv. He noted it was his eight visit to the city. "Each time more significant," Biden said. He added that the purpose of his visit was to convey to Zelensky that the U.S. is "here to stay." "We're not leaving," Biden said. The two men went inside the palace and your pool was escorted upstairs into the White Hall. Biden and Zelensky appeared upstairs at roughly 8:45 a.m. and shook hands with several U.S. and Ukrainian flags behind them. Biden then sat a a small white desk on the left and signed a guestbook. Biden then escorted Zelensky across a receiving line of U.S. officials on the left side of the room: Bridget Brink, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Zelensky then walked Biden along the line of Ukrainian officials on the right side of the room: Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president The two leaders then walked to a meeting room for a restricted bilat. Pool was ushered inside at roughly 8:54 a.m. for a spray at the top that lasted until just after 9 a.m. Zelensky spoke first, quotes to the best of my abilities are below: "Today we host President Biden." "That is so important" for us. "Thank you so much for coming Mr. President at a huge moment for Ukraine" "What can I say, I really appreciate that President Biden, American society have been from the very beginning … of this war have been together with us." "Thank you for your leadership," he said to Biden. "All the thanks to Congress" "I think that is a historical moment for our country," he said of U.S. support for Ukraine Zelensky said he looked forward to discussing "the situation on the battlefield" with Biden "But we will also speak about the people, about Ukranians, about Americans … what we have to do to stop the war, to have success in this war …and how to win this year." Biden followed Zelensky and expressed America's "unwavering support" for Ukraine and his admiration for the resilience of the Ukrainian people. Rough quotes below, again to the best of my abilities: "It's presumptuous of me to say this but I thought it was important that the President of the United States be here the day that the attack began," Biden said. "Because as the president remember, I was warning the world that Putin was going to attack." "I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about U.S. support for Ukraine in the war," Biden said. "The Ukrainian people have stepped up in a way that few people ever have in the past," he added. Biden emphasized there was broad, bipartisan support in Washington for the Ukrainian cause. "For all the disagreement we have in our Congress on some issues, there is significant agreement on support for Ukraine," he said. "It's not just about freedom in Ukraine … It's about freedom of democracy at large." He said Americans have also closely followed the war and been invested in the Ukrainian cause. "So many have kept the Ukrainian people, particularly women and children, in their prayers," Biden said. "They can't fathom the idea of the shelling of everything from orphanages to schools to the like. It's barbaric." "I'm here to show our unwavering support for the nation's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," Biden said. Addressing Zelensky directly, Mr. Biden added: "Today I hope we're going to have a chance to discuss how the United States and our allies, I keep in constant contact with our partners, can most effectively support you and your cause, Mr. President." He again voiced his admiration "for the people of Ukraine … ordinary, hardworking citizens who never trained in the military, Ukrainians stepped up. It's beyond heroic." Departure from Andrews Air Force One departed from Andrews Air Force Base at 4:15 a.m. EST Sunday. Your pool was already on board and not see Biden board the plane. An overhead announcement at roughly 4:00 a.m. stated that Biden had arrived. Your pool was swept at Andrews at 2:15 a.m. and asked to hand over our devices, as is often the case for unannounced presidential visits of this nature. The group traveling with the president is small and includes the following staff: Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs More to come… |
| February 20, 2023 12:23 EET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #2: St. Michael's Cathedral Walkabout / air raid sirens heard President Biden departed Mariinsky Palace at 11:19 a.m. and pulled up just a few minutes later at St. Michael's Gold-Domed Cathedral in central Kyiv, where he and President Zelensky did an outdoor walkabout. The cathedral's complex of sky-blue and golden buildings have long been a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after its priests gave shelter in 2013 to pro-Western protesters, many of them students, who had been beaten by police forces under the authority of a Kremlin-backed president. Your pool was not close enough to Biden and Zelensky to hear their conversation, but they walked side by side as Zelensky pointed out elements of the structure to Biden, who donned a wool coat and aviators. The two leaders went inside the church at 11:27 a.m. for just under 10 minutes before emerging once more. Air raid sirens were heard across the city as Biden and Zelensky left the church. Uniformed Ukrainian military officers lined the street just outside. Biden and Zelensky walked over and together laid a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance for the fallen heroes of the Russian-Ukrainian war as a military salute played and the two presidents stared down in silence for a few moments. Pool was then loaded into the motorcade, which was rolling at 11:40 a.m. |
| February 20, 2023 12:53 EET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #3: More quotes from palace Pool is holding at undisclosed location. Just to walk through the sequence of events now that your pooler has devices in hand once more: -Upon his arrival in Kyiv, President Biden departed for Mariinsky Palace where he was greeted outside by President Zelensky. -At Mariinsky Palace, he and Zelensky met privately for a few moments before posing for a photo opp upstairs in the White Hall. -They had a restricted bilat, with the pool spray at the top noted in Report #1. In that pool spray, your pooler asked Biden if the U.S. would be providing any new military equipment to Ukraine and he pointed to an announcement "later today." -That was followed by an expanded bilateral that was scheduled for roughly 30 minutes, according to aides on the ground. -Biden and Zelensky then spoke in a room inside the palace at 10:49 a.m. often used for press conferences. More quotes from their joint remarks: Zelensky spoke first and these quotes are based on the real-time translation provided. He thanked Biden for visiting in "the most difficult time" for Ukraine and said the two leaders held a wide discussion with their teams. "This conversation brings us closer to the victory," Zelensky said. "Today our negotiations were very fruitful …They were very important and crucial." He said long range missiles that have not been provided to Ukraine before are under discussion and also took note of the aid package Biden announced in his speech. Zelensky said the moment stood as a "clear signal that Russia's attempts of relaunch will have no chance." He said the first call on the night of Feb. 24th last year took place to the United States. Standing beside Biden one year later, Zelensky said: "This will be remembered eternally." Biden spoke for roughly 10 minutes and took no questions when his remarks concluded. In his speech, Biden recalled how he and Zelensky spoke by phone one year ago as "Russian planes were in the air and tanks were going across your border." "You told me that you could hear explosions in the background," Biden said. "I'll never forget that." "The world was about to change." Biden said he asked Zelensky how he could be of help and twice repeated what he said was the Ukrainian leader's response: "Gather the leaders of the world. Ask them to support Ukraine." "You said that you didn't know when we'd be able to speak again. That dark night one year ago, the world was literally at the time bracing for the fall of Kyiv," Biden said. "Perhaps even the end of Ukraine." "One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands," he declared. "The Americans stand with you and the world stands with you." Biden noted that Kyiv has "captured a part of my heart" and recalled his previous visits to the capital city, the last of which was in January 2017 before leaving office as vice president. "President Zelensky, you deeply honor me here in Kyiv with you today," he said. Biden then pivoted the international response to Russia's invasion and how to succeed in its face. "The American people know it matters: unchecked aggression is a threat to all of us," he said. "We built a coalition from the Atlantic to the Pacific." He noted the "unprecedented military, economic and humanitarian support" that has been provided to Ukraine over the past year and the "unprecedented cost" imposed on Moscow by the U.S. and its allies "that are squeezing Russia's economic lifelines." "Russia's aim was to wipe Ukraine off the map," Biden said. "Putin's war of conquest is failing." He noted Russian military has lost half the territory it once occupied and that people were fleeing both from the Russian military and from Russia itself "because they see no future in their country." Russia's economy is "isolated and struggling," Biden said. "Putin thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided," he added. "He thought he could outlast us. I don't think he's thinking that right now." "He's just been plain wrong," Biden said of Putin. "One year later, the evidence is right here in this room. We stand here together." |
| February 20, 2023 13:24 EET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #4: U.S. Embassy stop President Biden arrived at the U.S.Embassy in Kyiv at roughly 12 p.m. Your pool remained inside the vans the entire time and did not get a glimpse of the president but has requested a readout and will share if one is provided. At 12:46 p.m., the motorcade was rolling once more. As a reminder, pool cannot share the president's whereabouts in real time. |
| February 20, 2023 13:57 EET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #5: POTUS has left Kyiv President Biden has left Kyiv. Further updates will follow when your pooler is in a position to share more. |
| February 20, 2023 21:27 CET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #6: POTUS has left Ukraine President Biden has left Ukraine and is back in Poland. Your pooler will have more specifics soon, but is sending this report since more details can be shared about the president's movements leading up to this point. After his departure from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, President Biden's motorcade pulled up to the Kyiv-Pasazhyrsky railway station just before 1 p.m. and departed the Ukrainian capital city just under 10 minutes later by train. Biden had arrived at the same central Kyiv railway station at 8 a.m. in the morning following a roughly 10-hour overnight ride originating from Przemyśl Główny in Poland. AP's Evan Vucci was able to capture some photos of Biden on the train out of Kyiv that will be pooled. Your pooler was not allowed to be present for those photos, which were taken just after we departed from Kyiv. Now that we've addressed the many questions and suspicions around how Biden got in and out of Ukraine, your pooler will start from the beginning and share more details about the movements that had remained under embargo for security reasons and until Biden was safely headed to Warsaw. 'The president is going to Kyiv' Your pooler and the AP's Evan Vucci were summoned to a private meeting on Friday in White House communications director Kate Bedingfield's office, with WHCA President Tamara Keith also in attendance. We were informed that President Biden would be traveling to Kyiv and that we would be the only two journalists in the travel pool. Tam has already sent an email out explaining the process. Your pool was sworn to secrecy about the trip and told to look out for an email containing instructions for an early Sunday morning departure from Andrews Air Force Base. The subject line would read: "Arrival instructions for the golf tourney." That email arrived just after 3 p.m. EST on Saturday and told your pool to report to Andrews between 2 a.m. and 2:15 a.m. EST Sunday. Departure from Andrews Pool arrived unilaterally at Andrews and was swept at 2:15 a.m. As mentioned in an earlier report, your pool's phones were taken by agents and not returned until our arrival at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv more than 24 hours later. Your pool was driven to an Air Force C-32 often used to fly into smaller airports during domestic travel. Prior to its surreptitious departure, the plane sat in the dark next to a hanger with the shades drawn and away from the tarmac where it is typically parked for presidential travel. Your pool did not see Biden board the plane. We were already on board when an overhead announcement at 3:40 a.m. EST noted the president was en route and roughly 20 minutes out. A subsequent overhead announcement at 4:00 a.m. stated that Biden had arrived. Air Force One departed from Andrews at 4:15 a.m. EST. From here on out, please be advised that timestamps are in local time and the time changes one hour from our starting point in Poland to our destination of Kyiv. Arrival in Ramstein AF1 touched down at Ramstein Air Base in Germany at 5:13 p.m. local time Sunday under slightly overcast skies to refuel after an approximately seven-hour flight. During the flight over, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Annie Tomasini and Jake Sullivan each stopped by for a brief hello but did not speak in an official capacity, hold an OTR or share any details of the trip. The plane remained with its shades down for the duration of its time on the ground, which lasted roughly an hour and 15 minutes. Your pool remained in the back press cabin the entire time and did not see Biden at any point during the flight or stop in Ramstein. AF1 was wheels up again at 6:29 p.m. after the sun had set and the skies were dark. Arrival in Rzeszów AF1 landed at the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport at 7:57 p.m. Sunday. As you may recall, Biden traveled to Rzeszów last year and met at the airport hanger with U.S. troops who were in Poland at the time, as well as humanitarian workers and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda. The airport was clear upon Biden's arrival Sunday. Your pool did not see Biden deplane or get into his vehicle and was quickly ushered toward an SUV for press. The president's motorcade began rolling at 8:12 p.m. on a roughly one-hour drive along a fairly empty eastbound highway. Your pooler counted at least 20 cars in the motorcade but advises you confirm the number with officials. The motorcade consisted of a mix of minivans, SUVs and suburbans and did not use sirens to avoid drawing attention. Train from Przemyśl Główny Biden's motorcade arrived at the Przemyśl Główny train station at approximately 9:15 p.m. It was relatively quiet at this time of night with a handful of people milling about outside the station and the stalls seemingly all closed. The motorcade pulled directly up to a train that was mostly purple two large strips at the bottom from its exterior and large square windows with the shades mostly drawn. A handful of the train cars were blue with a yellow stripe along the middle and were reminiscent of the trains that have brought refugees into Poland from Ukraine. Biden was dropped directly in front of his train car and your pool once again did not get a glimpse of the president. Your pool was escorted to its own train car and put in separate sleeper cabins, each of which contained four single bunkbed-style beds. Your pooler was told by a security officer that the train had approx. eight cars, including the engines. Most of the train was occupied by a heavy security presence. A small group of passengers awaiting a separate train on the opposite side of the tracks were huddled in conversation and occasionally glanced over, but it was unclear if they could make out any of the activity unfolding before them. The train was rolling from Przemyśl Główny at 9:37 p.m. Your pooler was told by an agent on board that the train crossed the border into Ukraine at roughly 10:00 p.m. but is in the midst of confirming. Much of the journey occurred in the dark and so there was little visible beyond streetlights and the shadows of buildings in the distance. There was no interaction between your pool and White House staff traveling with the president throughout the 10-hour journey, nor any sightings of Biden on his favorite mode of transport. There were a handful of stops, at least once to pick up additional security, along the way. It was not always clear what prompted the stops, most of which were brief, and your pool was isolated from the staff on board. Arrival in Kyiv As the train carrying President Biden approached Kyiv, the sun had risen and views from the window largely consisted of graffiti walls, barren winter trees and a colorful assortment of brick homes — many of them in pastel colors. The train came to a stop at the Kyiv-Pasazhyrsky station at roughly 8:00 a.m. local time. The area around the platform had been cleared and U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink awaited Biden and his staff in chilly outdoor conditions. Jake Sullivan and Jen O'Malley Dillon got off the train and were followed by Biden minutes later at 8:07 a.m. As mentioned earlier, the president's first words after stepping off the train were: "It's good to be back in Kyiv." The motorcade, which again was a mix of SUVs, minivans and armored vehicles, was rolling from the train station at 8:18 a.m. en route to Mariinsky Palace. Along the way, the motorcade passed Kyiv's Independence Square, or Maidan, the site of major demonstrations in 2013-2014. You know the rest from Kyiv already. But as a reminder, the president's stops consisted of: -Meeting with President Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace -Walkabout with Zelensky at St. Michael's Cathedral -Stop at U.S. Embassy in Kyiv As mentioned above, Biden departed Kyiv by the same train just before 1:10 p.m. The ride was long and uneventful. The train crossed the border back into Poland shortly after 8 p.m. local time (note time change from Kyiv). The train arrived at the Przemyśl Główny at 8:45 p.m. Once again, your pool did not see Biden get off the train or get into his car. Motorcade was rolling at 9 p.m. More to come... |
| February 20, 2023 22:16 CET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #7: Departure from Rzeszów President Biden's motorcade arrived at Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport at 10:04 p.m. local time. The president traveled in the same large motorcade that had brought him to the Przemyśl station on Sunday night, only this time the sirens were in use as the convoy rode along the highway since his travel was no longer shrouded in secrecy. Biden boarded AF1 at 10:15 p.m. As most of you are well aware, cell service immediately disappears on the smaller plane. We will be wheels up shortly and your pooler will update you from the other side. |
| February 20, 2023 23:33 CET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #8: Arrival in Warsaw Air Force one touched down in Warsaw at 11:13 p.m. following a brief flight from Rzeszów that had departed at about 10:30 p.m. President Biden deplaned at 11:25 p.m. and was greeted by a small group -- your pooler has asked for names. Biden then headed into the Beast (it's back!) and the motorcade was rolling at 11:32 p.m. |
| February 20, 2023 23:44 CET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #8a: Warsaw greeters President Biden was greeted on the tarmac by the following officials upon his arrival in Warsaw, per the White House: 1. Mr. Marek Szcepanowski, Director of Diplomatic Protocol |
| February 20, 2023 23:42 CET |
TRAVEL POOL #9: Call with Italian PM Readout from the White House: President Biden spoke with Italian Prime Minister Meloni tonight on the phone following the President's trip to Ukraine and ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to Ukraine. The two leaders discussed their ongoing close coordination on support to Ukraine, including security, economic, and humanitarian assistance. President Biden looks forward to welcoming her to Washington D.C. when their schedules align. |
| February 20, 2023 23:49 CET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #10: Arrival at RON President Biden's motorcade pulled up at RON at 11:45 p.m. The ride was uneventful. Local security lined the streets, which were wet from fresh rainfall and shut down by security. Your pool did not see Biden upon arrival. |
| February 20, 2023 23:52 CET |
TRAVEL POOL REPORT #10a: Lid It's been a marathon, but we have a lid at 11:50 p.m. Thanks for your patience with the gaps between getting these poor reports out. Goodnight. |
Pool Reports below by Sebastian Smith, Agence France-Presse
| Sent: | Reports: |
| February 20, 2023 18:26 EST |
Travel pool report (the would be travel pool) Purely for purposes of pool note tidiness, checking in from JBA where 11 members of today's designated travel pool are gathered for the flight to Warsaw. We of course are "spare," with the pooling already done by our two excellent colleagues chosen to accompany the president on his unannounced trip to Kyiv. Joining us are Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Chief of Protocol Rufus Gifford. So, for the purists: the modified Boeing 747 that is often used as Air Force One is leaving shortly, call sign SAM 28. |
| February 20, 2023 19:40 EST |
Travel pool report 2 (would be) - traveler's From the WH: Traveling from Joint Base Andrews to join the President in Warsaw, Poland: Mike Donilon, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President |
| February 21, 2023 07:54 CET |
Travel pool (would be) report 3 - arrival SAM 28 touched down in Warsaw at 7:52 am local. No news. NSC's John Kirby stopped by for an OTR chat; no other visitors to the press cabin. |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of February 20, 2023 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/359771