On February 20, 2023, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, made a visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, his first since the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Out of security concerns, his travel plans had not been made public prior to his arrival, and only two journalists accompanied him, having been sworn to secrecy three days earlier. The visit took place on the day Ukraine remembers the Heavenly Hundred, on the eve of a scheduled major speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin and four days ahead of the 1-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion. The trip lasted a total of 24 hours, the majority of which were taken by the long train rides. During the five hours of meetings in Kyiv, Biden announced another $500 million in military assistance to Ukraine. Biden's visit received a mixed reaction in the United States, split primarily along political party lines. It was the first time in modern history that a sitting U.S. President has traveled to an active conflict zone not controlled by the American military, and was the closest a president had come to a combat zone since Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The Pentagon and the Secret Service opposed the visit to Kyiv. Background On February 24, 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Throughout the war, the United States had been the largest supporter of Ukraine, committing over US$27 billion in security assistance since the invasion began. The Pentagon and the Secret Service opposed Biden visiting Kyiv, and there were rumors about a possible meeting near the Polish border or in Lviv, Western Ukraine. The visit also came during softening support for the U.S. supplying weapons to Ukraine, according to polls. Visit to Ukraine Amid great secrecy, at about 4am EST on February 19, 2023, Biden departed the White House and travelled to Joint Base Andrews for a flight to Rzeszów, Poland, with a refueling stop at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, on a Boeing C-32A with the call sign "SAM060". Upon arrival at Rzeszów and transfer by car to Przemyśl, Biden boarded an overnight train to Kyiv, the method by which many world leaders visited the capital since the beginning of the invasion. The Russian government was informed prior to Biden's visit. The train ride lasted nearly 10 hours. During Biden's five hours in Kyiv, he was transported in a