By: Ethan&Connie Cao

Last month, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, stepped off a plane awaited by a crowd of admirers. He waved, smiled, and met the country’s leader. This might sound like any normal presidential visit. But the country Biden visited last month was Ukraine. After the devastating impact of Russia’s ongoing invasion of the small country, this show of support is a big deal for both the watching western countries and Ukraine itself.

The war has left cities in ruins, over 11000 people injured, and more than 7,000 civilians dead. While protecting their country and families, more than Forty thousand Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured. In only a year, the country has suffered from death, mass relocation, and destruction. Roughly 8 million people in the country have been forced to move to other parts of Ukraine, and over 8 million more have left the country for safety, many fleeing with only a suitcase of hastily gathered possessions.

A president visiting a country with an active war going on is very unusual and even dangerous. The president spoke to the city and took a tour along a wall honoring soldiers who have died fighting for Ukraine.

Even while Biden visited, Russia continued to pound the country with missile and drone attacks. In an effort to force surrender, Russia often targets Ukraine’s systems that supply energy, heat, and water, resulting in attacks that hit cities far away from where the fighting between soldiers is happening. This unpredictable restriction caused concern to many of Biden’s advisers, but Mr. Biden’s visit to Ukraine wasn’t just meant to encourage Ukraine’s people, it was to make people have faith in Ukraine. Biden has made a huge impact and Ukraine is ready to fight back with supporters, new and old.