World News | US President Joe Biden ‘uncertain’ about his European trip

washington [US]China News Service, January 31 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that he was “uncertain” about a trip to Europe around the anniversary of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine next month.

“I’m not sure,” Biden told reporters at the White House.

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However, in another question about his trip to Poland, the US president said he would visit an important ally, but no date has been set.

It comes after two senior administration officials said President Joe Biden was considering a trip to Europe next month on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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The itinerary has yet to be confirmed and details are yet to be finalized. But one stop under consideration is Poland, a key NATO ally that currently hosts thousands of U.S. troops and is also a hub for Western arms transfers to Ukraine, one of the officials said. U.S. service members are also training Ukrainian troops there.

However, one of the officials said it was extremely unlikely that Biden would travel to Ukraine as part of the trip, citing ongoing security concerns.

For weeks, Biden aides have been planning how to mark the anniversary of the invasion, including a possible keynote address. They wanted to highlight the resilience of the Ukrainian people, noting that when the war started, many thought Kyiv would fall within days.

In response to inquiries from the South Lawn, Biden also expressed hope that the George Floyd Act would pass.

Earlier, he also said the US would not send F16 fighter jets to Ukraine, CNN reported. When asked by reporters whether he would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden said “no.”

Interestingly, the US has stepped up military aid to Ukraine in the form of artillery and tanks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been seeking fighter jets to help sustain his war effort against Russia. Biden has consistently said planes are off the table, even as he offers aid in other areas.

Last week, Biden announced he would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, even though senior U.S. officials had previously said the heavy vehicles were unsuitable for the country’s military.

Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House, Biden also said he was not sure if he would visit Europe next month to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, according to CNN.

In response to another question, Biden said he planned to visit Poland but was unsure when.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said they had not received any request for fighter jets from Ukraine, CNN reported.

“We did not make such a request [from Ukraine],” Macron told a joint news conference in The Hague, where the two leaders are meeting to prepare for the next EU council meeting in February.

Macron said that while France had not received any requests, “in principle nothing is off-limits”. He insisted that the usefulness of each request must be carefully considered.

According to CNN, Macron said the requested weapons should not escalate the conflict. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)