JOE Biden has made a shock visit to Ukraine as fears loom of a massive new offensive by Russia.
The US President suddenly appeared in Kyiv after he was expected to be making a visit to Poland.
He met with Ukraine's hero president Volodymyr Zelensky during the highly secretive and unprecedented trip.
Pictures showed him walking with Zelensky alongside a mural of angels near St. Michael's Cathedral in Kyiv.
Air raid sirens could be heard ringing around the city which remains under attack from the Russians.
The US President vowed Washington will stand with Kyiv for "as longa as it takes".
Biden was wearing aviator sunglasses, while Zelensky was sporting his trademark combat fatigues.
They were followed by a hoard of photographers and video cameras capturing the historic moment.
"Joseph Biden, welcome to Kyiv! Your visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians," said Zelensky, sharing a photo of them shaking hands on Telegram.
Biden pledged another $500million (£400million) to support Ukraine, and Zelensky said they discussed long range weapons.
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It is expected the latest aid package will include more HIMARS missiles, more artillery shells, and radars.
The White House is also expected to announce a new raft of sanctions against Russian elites and companies.
Biden's visit came just days before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.
And it occured as the shadow of a huge new bloody onslaught looms over the war-torn nation.
Vladimir Putin will likely by fuming over Biden's visit as he today meets with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi.
The duelling visits are ighly symbolic – with the US warning China could start arming Russia.
Footage shared on social media before the visit was announced showed massive motorcades moving through Kyiv.
It sparked speculation of a high profile visit by a foreign leader – with the trucks and outriders being seen in the US Embassy.
Central Kyiv was sealed off with phone and internet blackouts in an unprecedented lockdown.
And meanwhile, a US spy plane could be seen on publiccircling over Poland on the border with Ukraine.
But while Biden is showing support – Zelensky will be hoping he will commit more US support to Ukraine.
With the threat of a Russian attack, Kyiv is appealing for more Western weapons to help them beat Russia.
In a bullish comment yesterday, Zelensky said Ukraine is prepared and want to make this a "short war".
Kyiv however believes they need advanced Western fighter jets to defeat Putin.
World leaders have been making tightly managed, highly secretive and carefully stage-managed visit to Kyiv.
Boris Johnson became the first Western leader to make the trip on in April 2022.
His successor Rishi Sunak also quickly made the visit when appointed, and so did Labour leader Keir Starmer.
European heads of state such as German leader Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron have also visited.
Biden has so far avoided making the journey – with US officials being concerned about the massive security operation.
Antony Blinken, the US's top diplomat, and Lloyd Austin, the secretary of defence, have however both made the trip.
It is understood world leaders make the journey via a night train – with the risk of flying in over the warzone deemed too high.
Putin is believed to be preparing for a massive new offensive in the coming weeks to coincide with the war's first anniversary on February 24.
It has been believed up to 500,000 troops are massing for the attack – with bloody fighting still raging in the East.
Vuhledar and Bakhmut have devolved into the bloodiest battles of the conflict with grinding trench warfare.
Vlad's future is now believed to be tied to his success or failure in Ukraine.
Russia expected to be welcomed as conquering liberators when they staged their invasion nearly one year ago.
But instead of flags and cheering crowns, they were met with gunfire and brave resistance.
Vlad is believed to be desperate to try and achieve something in Ukraine – especially with the anniversary so close.
Kyiv intelligence has confirmed they expect a massive new attack sometime in the next week.
It is believed that if Putin continues to fail in the war, his regime could collapse – and it could have dire consequences for Russia.
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security Council, believes Putin could unleash the new offensive on either February 23 or 24.
But he insisted the country is "ready" and will be able to "cope".
He told the My-Ukraine TV channel: "You and I started saying that they are preparing and will try to make another attempt at a massive attack on February 23-24.
"You need to be calm about this. We are ready for it.
"I think we already understand what attacks are, after receiving 115-120 rockets in one day.
"We will cope with this day as well. Yes, it will be difficult, but we will all get through."
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