Being There

Biden’s trip to Ukraine brings hope

By now, everyone knows about President Biden’s secret trip to Ukraine. I think it was a bold and important move and, even not knowing how the war in Ukraine ends, it will be seen as one of the most important things Biden did during his political career. Hopefully it sends a signal, a show of support, and helps the the world to help Ukraine.

In 2022, Zelensky delivered a speech to the US Congress, appealing for aid in his country’s fight against a crazy despot. His closing remarks were powerful:

“Today, it is not enough to be the leader of the nation … Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. Peace in your country doesn’t depend anymore only on you and your people. It depends on those next to you, on those who are strong. Strong doesn’t mean weak. Strong is brave and ready to fight for the life of his citizens and citizens of the world. For human rights, for freedom, for the right to live decently and to die when your time comes, and not when it’s wanted by someone else, by your neighbor.”

Joe Biden is a good man and he internalizes these words. I can imagine when someone in his staff-perhaps he, himself- thought of the idea of traveling to Kyiv to show support, he jumped at the chance. It’s the right thing to do.

In a world that sometimes feels like it’s every person for themselves, this trip shows that it isn’t.

We need to support one another. In Ukraine, it’s life or death.

Originally published at https://lizadonnelly.substack.com on February 21, 2023.