Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine: how did he pull it off?

White House officials are beginning to illuminate the public on how United States President Joe Biden managed to make a secret trip to an active war zone in Kyiv over the weekend without any information leaking ahead of time.

The surprise visit made international headlines as the US president joined a group of political leaders who have entered the war-torn country since Russia’s unprompted invasion began about one year ago. Biden’s motorcade reportedly left the White House in the dark of night at about 3:30AM on Sunday, headed for a secret flight out of Joint Base Andrews on a plane other than Air Force One. The flight was followed by a ten-hour train ride into downtown Kyiv, where the president made his surprise appearance. Residents in Kyiv were not notified ahead of time of Biden’s visit.

The entourage that accompanied Biden on the trip took several precautions during their visit to Ukraine, including turning off all their mobile devices and traveling in a smaller group with plenty of security. Roads in Kyiv were closed ahead of Biden’s appearance to allow safer travel through the city as the war with Russia raged on in Ukraine. 

Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky in the streets of Kyiv before the two went to pay respects to Ukrainian soldiers at the Wall of Remembrance. Biden’s visit spanned only about 24 hours before the US president left for Warsaw to mark one year since the Kremlin began its brutal invasion of Ukraine.