Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena greet US President Joe Biden during a visit to Kiev. Photo/Presidency of Ukraine/REUTERS
“Joe Biden came to Kiev only with personal security guarantees from Vladimir Putin, that there would be no rocket attacks and no flights… during the visit,” Markov told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera was unable to verify his claims. He added the timing of the trip was important, as it comes before Putin is scheduled to deliver a national address and ahead of the one-year anniversary of the invasion on Friday.
He argued that Biden had much to gain from the visit, in terms of domestic politics.
Also read: Biden secretly arrives in Ukraine, his first visit since the war
“Leaders within the (US) Democratic Party believe he is physically and mentally incapable of carrying out the duties of the presidency,” said Markov.
He added that the trip was a “big win” for Biden against his political opponents.
A spokesman for the German government welcomed US President Joe Biden’s trip to Ukraine.
Steffen Hebestreit said during a government press conference that the visit was a “good signal”, but declined to comment further.
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