Biden, who was in the Polish capital, listened intently as the children described the dangerous flight from neighboring Ukraine with their parents. Smiling broadly, he picked up a young girl in a pink coat and told her she reminded him of his granddaughters. The president held hands with the parents and gave them hugs during the stop at a soccer field where the refugees go to get a Polish identification number that gives them access to social services such as healthcare and schools. Some of the women and children told Biden that they had fled without their husbands and fathers, men of fighting age who had to be left behind to help resist the forces sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin – a “butcher”. , in the words of Biden. in Ukraine more than a month ago. “What always amazes me is the depth and power of the human spirit,” Biden told reporters after talking to refugees at the stadium, which recently served as an open-air hospital for COVID-19 patients. “Each of these children said something that resulted: ‘Say a prayer for my dad or grandpa or my brother fighting out there.’ The president, who was due to return to Washington later in the day, tried to use the last hours of his European tour to reassure Poland that the United States would defend itself against any attack by Russia, as he acknowledged that NATO’s ally had brought burden of the refugee crisis from the war. Before leaving Poland, Biden was scheduled to deliver a speech that is expected to focus on the difficult path ahead as the United States and its Western allies continue to help Ukraine and urge Russia to end its invasion. “Your freedom is ours,” Biden told Polish President Andrei Duda earlier, echoing one of the country’s unofficial mottos. At the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, the two leaders spoke of mutual respect and common goals for ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Although times are very difficult, today Polish-American relations are flourishing,” Duda said. More than 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war and more than 2.2 million Ukrainians have moved to Poland, although it is unclear how many have remained and how many have left for other countries. Earlier this week, the United States announced it would accept up to 100,000 refugees, and Biden told Duda that he understood that Poland “had taken on a great deal of responsibility, but NATO’s should be responsible for everything.” Biden called NATO’s “collective defense” agreement a “sacred commitment” and said the unity of the Western military alliance was paramount. “I am convinced that Vladimir Putin was based on the division of NATO,” Biden said. “But he didn “t make it. We all stayed together. “ European security is facing its most serious test since World War II. Western leaders last week consulted on emergency plans in the event of an escalation of the conflict. The invasion shook NATO from any complacency it might feel and cast a dark shadow over Europe. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Biden’s speech would describe the “urgency of the challenge ahead” and “what the Ukraine conflict means to the world and why it is so important for the free world to remain united. and determined. ” in the face of Russian aggression. “ In addition to meeting with Duda, Biden attended a meeting of US and Ukrainian diplomats and defense officials to discuss the military, diplomatic and humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Warsaw, a city of nearly 1.8 million people, has grown by about 17% in one month as refugees have flocked in huge numbers seeking refuge. While the Poles have so far welcomed the Ukrainians, the humanitarian effort is largely the work of volunteers. Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski has warned that it is unsustainable and that social services are bending under pressure. The US is sending money and supplies to help the refugee effort. This week, Biden announced additional $ 1 billion in aid in addition to accepting refugees. The United States and many of its allies have imposed multiple rounds of financial and other sanctions on Russian individuals, banks and other entities in the hope that the cumulative effect will eventually lead to Putin withdrawing his troops.
Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report.
