Russia says it gave no security guarantees to Joe Biden during his surprise visit to Kiev

“Indeed, the United States informed Russia about Biden’s visit to Kiev — through diplomatic channels. But we didn’t give any guarantees about his safety,” Bortnikov, director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), said in an interview with the Shot Telegram channel.

Russia was informed of the trip just hours before President Biden was due to leave for “conflict purposes,” a US official said.

Bortnikov said that the Russian and US special services continue to work together, especially in the fight against international terrorism.

“This collaboration continues. It is of course not at the level it used to be, so nobody benefits from it. We are all interested in maintaining relations,” Bortnikov was quoted as saying by the official Tass news agency.

Biden’s top-secret visit to Ukraine came at a critical moment in the 12-month conflict. In Kiev, Biden announced half a billion dollars in new aid and said the package would include more military equipment like artillery ammunition, more javelins and howitzers.

“A year later, Kiev is standing. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands,” Biden said when he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The United States and other Western nations have shipped arms and ammunition to Ukraine in hopes of changing the course of the war.

Biden’s presence in Kiev was intended to reaffirm America’s “unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a White House statement.