White House: Biden to visit Poland on Europe trip this week

President Joe Biden has added a stop in Poland to his upcoming trip to Europe for urgent talks with NATO and European allies as Russian forces concentrate their fire upon cities and trapped civilians in the Kremlin’s nearly month-old invasion of Ukraine.

Biden, who leaves Washington on Wednesday, will first travel to Brussels and then Poland, where he will meet with leaders there, press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday.

Poland, which neighbours Ukraine, has taken in more than 2 million refugees from the fighting. It’s been one of the most vocal in asking fellow NATO members to consider getting more involved to rein in the bloodshed.

White House officials said previously that Biden had no plans to travel to Ukraine. Biden and NATO have said repeatedly that while the United States and the military alliance will provide weapons and other defense support to non-NATO member Ukraine, they are determined to avoid any escalation on their side that risks a broader war with Russia.